C.M. Brown's Blog, page 20

INDIE LIFE, MONTHLY POST FOR THE INDELIBLES

What is Indie Life?
http://indeliblewriters.blogspot.com.au/ 

How: Sign up on the Linky at the bottom of Indelible Writer's Blog Page
When: Post on the second Wednesday of the month (starting 1/9/2013)
What: Write anything indie related: something that will inspire or help a fellow indie; something that celebrates a release or a milestone; something that talks about the ups and downs, joys and heartaches of Being Indie.
Grab: The banner above to include in your posts!

October 2013

Being an Indie Writer I find, like many others, the most important task besides writing and self-publishing your work, is marketing your product.


Earlier tonight I checked the blog sites of my distributors and upon opening my Smashwords account, was pleasantly surprised to find a sum of money contributed from sales through Barnes & Noble and Sony (Apple).

I then quickly visited my Amazon account to check what movement, if any had happened through them. As usual, only a small number of books had been sold.

For some reason I am unable to crack into the potential market of Amazon, as easily as I have with other book distributors.

I have come to the conclusion through watching the impact of books released by other authors in my category and genre, that Amazon seem to prefer their authors have a publishing company backing them and/ or an agent to help with distribution and marketing.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Amazon, but I am posting this post with the intention of asking other authors if they have had a similar experience with sales through Amazon? And, if so, would you mind sharing your experience? 

You may also have a secret to share, about how you achieved any positive outcomes using Amazon as your distributor? If so, please leave a comment below or send me a personal email using the email list below:
c.m.brown.books@gmail.com  
 
Thanks for taking the time to read this post and I hope some of you have an answer.


Carolyn

FRATERFEST READ-A-THON # 2 - MY CHALLENGES!

Fraterfest Read-a-Thon #2October 3rd through the 8th Hosted by:  http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2013/10/welcome-fraterfest-read-athon.html
Here is the list of my reading goals for this years Fraterfest:
Blood Rites by D.R. RaceyMy Zombie Dog by Charmaine Clancy Blood and Guitars by Heather JensenVampire in the Beginning by Charmain Marie Mitchell 

FRATERFEST 2013

Fraterfest Read-a-Thon #2
October 3rd through the 8th 


Last year's Fraterfest was a an absolute blast and participants wanted it to be longer so I've extended the length. There will be challenges, prizes, a twitter party and we will again be using the hashtag #Fraterfest. 

RulesThe event kicks of at 12:01 am on October 3rd in your time zone and ends at 12:00 midnight on October 8th. Link up below. You do not need a blog to participate. You can use your Goodreads account, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Tumblr etc. Join for one day or the entire time..it is up to you.  Have fun! Tweet your progress using #Fraterfest (optional)

Events 
Daily challenges with a chance to win prizesTwitter Party on Sunday October 6th from 4 pm (EST) to 5 pm (EST) with chances to win prizes and swag.
Main Giveaway (INT) Book of Your Choice


Earn entries by:Linking upMust post either start-up post or wrap-up post to qualify and participate in at least one challenge.  (around time of event)Earn extra entry for each challenge Earn an extra entry for reading one of the following: a Rhiannon Frater book or one of the following: paranormal, horror, mystery, suspense, zombie,vampire, shapeshifter, witch, dystopian, post-apocalyptic, ghost..you get the picture.Extra entries for sharing, adding button and following challenge hosts
I hope you will join in the fun! If you would like to host a challenge please email ASAP. I will post challenge schedule, rafflecopter for Participant prize on October 2nd at 4pm (EST).  


Grab the button, Link up and Join the Fun! 

THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT

Things That Go Bump in the Night 2013 For the entire month of October we are excited to be bringing you reviews, excerpts, awesome giveaways and guest posts about Things that Go Bump in the Night


Scheduled posts, reviews and giveaways*
Day One by Nate Kenyon *Talespins by Michael Mullin*
Darke London by Coleen Kwan*
Controlling the Dead by Annie Walls*
A Warm Place to Call Home (a demon's story) by Michael Siemsen*
Darker Days by Jus Accardo**indicated giveaway
Sponsors: St Martin's Press, Michael Mullin, Coleen Kwan, Annie Walls, Michael Siemsen, Entangled Publishing
Grab the Button and Spread the Word:) 

GWEN GARDNER & ANGELA BROWN - PARTERS IN PARANORMAL YA, BLOG TOUR

The girls are back with the release of their latest works!
Gwen with the second book of her series, and Angela with a novella which has a very titillating cover!

Welcome to both of you and good luck with both releases!


About Partners in ParanormYA:Gwen Gardner and Angela Brown - YA paranormal authors embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. Share with us as we take the Indie journey to bring our works to the world. Buckle up! There'll be mystery, mayhem, action and emotional roller coasters...oh, and a few things that go bump in the night.Hauntings are scary but we love interaction:Angela’s author FB page| Gwen’s author FB pageTweet Angela | Tweet GwenAngela’s blog | Gwen’s blog


 A Guilty Ghost, Surprised
By Gwen Gardner


About A Guilty Ghost Surprised: Indigo Eady and gang are back with a feather and a Chance setting off another twisting-turning investigation to bring a cold case, and loved ones, closure at last.
AGGS buy links: Amazon and Barnes & Noble



They All Fall Down, A Shadow Jumpers NovellaBy Angela Brown
About They All Fall Down: Free of their duties as Cleanser and Harvestor, Abby and Basil try to move on with their lives. But some secrets remain. And what is done in the dark won’t be good when it comes to light.TAFD buy links: Amazon and Barnes & Noble








 And, because its October, known to be the month of the year we celebrate scary stuff, Gwen and Angela are sharing their choice of scary movies, with their top 5 picks.

Fright Nights – Movie Style

You probably think the Partners in ParanormYA have no fear of things that go bump in the night. We write about ghouls, ghosts, angels, demons and the lot. Well, you couldn’t be more wrong lol!
Yes, both Gwen and I are a couple of scaredy-cats. No shame in admitting it. Better to get some things out in the open.

Scary movies are to be avoided, but both of us have seen movies that helped solidify the fear.

Angela’s Top Five frightening movies:

1. The Exorcist (Oh. My. Heebee. Geebeez!)
2. A Nightmare on Elm Street(He comes after you in your dreams! Nowhere is safe!!)
3. The Ring (Seven days? Forward all my calls please…for like…ever!)
4. The Grudge (The kid, the girl, or what was left of her and that nerve curdling throat noise *shudders*)
5. Wrong Turn (I just, I can’t. No.)

Gwen’s Top Five frightening movies:

1. The Birds (I was about 5 when I watched it. The scene where the old man gets his eyes pecked out still haunts me).
2. Rosemary’s Baby(Having the devils baby? OMG. I saw this when I was about 5.)
3. I wish I knew the name of the movie where body parts floated onto a beach where a party was going on. I’d love to see it again to exorcize it from my system. I was traumatized. Again, it was probably mid 1960s and I was about 5 years old.
4. Psycho, the original (Are we seeing a pattern here? I don’t watch scary movies any more, that’s why all my top picks are so old!)
5. The newest episode of Luther (the guy under the bed--‘nuff said). 

What is one of the scariest movies you’ve seen?

And don’t forget about the giveaway!a Rafflecopter giveaway)

INSECURE WRITER'S SUPPORT GROUP

   IT IS TIME FOR 
INSECURE WRITER'S SUPPORT GROUPTo find out more about this group,visit:Alex J. Cavanaugh (The Ninja Captain)
at http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com.au
TO SIGN UP TO BE PART OF THIS MONTHLY MEME, JUST FOLLOW THIS LINK:http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html
 THIS MONTH THE CO-HOSTS ARE:
 Julie Luek, Rachna Chabria, Beverly Fox, and Ilima Todd
ALEX HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE NEW INSECURE WRITER'S SUPPORT GROUP WEBSITE IS NOW OFFICIALLY OPENED! VISIT ANYTIME TO FIND HELPFUL HINTS AND ADVICE FOR ALL YOUR WRITING NEEDS!
MY CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE CREATION OF THIS SITE AND MY BEST WISHES FOR, WHAT I AM SURE WILL BE IT'S SUCCESS.
Joy Campbell, Michelle Wallace, Joylene Nowell Butler Susan Gourley/Kelley, L. Diane Wolfe, and Lynda Young
http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/
My insecurity is that time just disappears!

Where it goes, I just cannot figure out. I wake up in the morning with great plans to write and catch up on my book reviews, but I just never seem to get much done!
I am also becoming addicted to Goodgame Empire, which is very distracting. Have you played it yet? I always loved the original versions of this game, so when I found it recently I quickly became engaged in building my empire!
One positive, is that I have been busy helping other authors launch their new releases, which is a good thing, but I need a push to get back on track with my writing. I may have to go back to posting my monthly goals, just to help me commit. Will see.
This weekend I am going away for a few days break away from the house, and am planning to write and refresh the batteries. I just hope I will not get too distracted in things around me and not be able to achieve what I hope. It is not that I have writer's block, the ideas just keep coming, it is just that I cannot get into the mood to produce! Oh well, hopefully I will achieve results over the weekend.
Wish me luck!
Carolyn

FALL, THE RAGNAOK PROPHESIES: BOOK TWO BY A.K. MORGEN, BLOG TOUR

FALL - The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two by  A.K. Morgen

will be available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble on October 5, 2013 from Curiosity Quills Press.  FADE – The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book One is available now at Amazon US, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.


Blurb:
How do you save someone who doesn't want to be saved?

Those called to stand guard against the end are broken, and Sköll and Hati run free. Now Arionna Jacobs and Dace Matthews face a threat unlike any before. Ragnarök is coming and they aren't strong enough to stop it.
Arionna thought she understood sacrifice, but she never counted on her destiny tearing Dace apart. Ever since she nearly died, he has been consumed with guilt. Now it threatens to turn him into the monster he always feared.
It's up to Arionna to stop him before it's too late, but the path to hell is paved with good intentions, and Dace is hurtling toward self destruction. This time, Arionna isn't sure she can save him from himself. Can she convince him to let the past go, or is her true destiny to sacrifice her heart in exchange for the lives of the people she loves?
You can read the official prologue to FALL here.


Today, I have the pleasure to bring you Ayden Morgen's second book in her Ragnaok Prophesies!

I have invited Ayden here to share her viewpoint on what makes it onto her list of the most destructive myths.

 Thanks for dropping by Ayden, and good luck with your new rlease, Fall.

A.K. Morgen's Top Five Destruction Myths
I have a confession to make. One of my favorite things to do is read (or watch!) end of the world tales. I love when things explode and the hero and heroine are forced to resort to drastic measures to save the world. I have no idea why I love this, because the thought of natural disasters or mass devastation in real life is absolutely devastating. But there's something about knowing everything's going to be alright in the end – despite the chaos happening on the pages or the screen – that brings out the crazy person in me.
When it came to writing the The Ragnarök Prophesies series, I delved into the research like a kid in a candy store. Arionna and Dace's story is about the Norse apocalypse myth, and the madness being a part of that prophecy creates in their lives. But the Norse myth of Ragnarök isn't the only destruction myth out there!
Here are some of my favorites from around the world:
1        Hathor's Rampage –In Egyptian lore, Ra gets fed up with humans who won't worship, and sets the goddess Hathor (aka Sekhmet) after them. But Hathor doesn't always discern between the innocent and the guilty, so she kills indiscriminately. When Ra realizes what she's doing, he summons up a flood of beer dyed to look like blood. Hathor, loving the taste of blood, gorges herself, not knowing Ra tricked her. She becomes drunk, and completely forgets her mission. I gotta say… stopping the apocalypse with alcohol? I could live with that!
2        The Five Suns – The Aztec people believed that five suns represented a specific time period. When that period drew to an end (with the help of the gods, of course), the sun died and caused chaos to descend on the world until the gods renewed the world with the creation of the next sun. The destruction of each of the five suns happens in a specific way, jaguars and an angry god, hurricanes, fire, floods, and a massive earthquake. According to the Aztec, when the fifth sun dies, all of humanity will be destroyed.
3        The Tale of Gilgamesh– In the Babylonian tradition, the king of the gods, Enlil, becomes angry with the lesser gods and sends a giant flood to punish them. Humanity is caught in the crossfire, and ends up drowning. But don't fret, lovelies. As with the biblical tale, there is hope! Another god, Ea, learns of Enlil's plan, and alerts one man who is able to build a boat for his family and animals. They survive the flood, repopulate the world, and that dear man is eventually elevated to god status himself.
4        The Age of Darkness– According to Hindu teachings, humanity moves in cycles. When humanity is at its most morally degraded state, the Kali Yuga (or the Age of Darkness), the Kalki Avatar will be reborn to destroy the wicked and return humanity to a state of virtue. When the Kalki Avatar comes, he comes in a rain of fire and flame. At that point, things get really unpleasant. Millions will die in a battle and an eventual massacre, followed by wars and a lot of other unpleasant things.
The good news is that once all of that is over, if you've survived, the cycle of humanity begins again, and the world is returned to a state of peace, puppies, and rainbows. Yay, right?!
5        Chaos –Interestingly enough, one of the most common themes we see in religion and mythology around the world is the concept of chaos. Different groups viewed it different ways, of course, but for many, the concept was the same. Chaos was the big void from which we came, and is the big void to which we return when the end comes. Whether Chaos is brought about because of gods, natural disaster, our own ineptitude, or some other reason, I've always been fascinated that so many disparate belief systems have dealt with the same subject in such a similar fashion.

About the Author:
A.K. Morgen lives in Little Rock, Arkansas with her husband, three dogs, and demonic cat. She has a graduate degree in Criminal Justice and Law, and plans to save the world some day. When she’s not writing, she spends her time teaching her niece and nephews how to cause mischief. You can also find her dancing in the grocery store, building a spork army, and fundraising for nonprofits close to her heart.
You can learn more about Ayden at http://akmorgen.comor by following her on Twitter, Goodreads, or Facebook.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

TEASER TUESDAY

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by
http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/of Should Be Reading.Anyone can play along!Just do the followingGrab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE ANY SPOILERS!
Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away!


You don't want to ruin the book for others!

Jewel of Shaylar (Kingdoms of Chandra, #1) byLaura Eno Blurb:    Archaeologist David Alexander investigates the cave where his father disappeared and hurtles into another world, one filled with magic and bizarre creatures. The mad ravings in his father's journals of icemen and dragons may not be fantasies after all.

Convinced his father may still be alive, David begins a treacherous journey to find him and discover a way home. Along the way, he encounters a few unlikely friends. A Dreean warrior, a beautiful thief and a satyr join him as he searches.

David's arrival into this new world sets off an explosive chain reaction of events. Faced with powerful adversaries and few clues, he may not get the chance to rescue his father before disaster strikes, condemning both of them to death. Or worse.

 MY TEASER:

Lothan tossed a knapsack and blanket tied with rope at David early the next morning before he'd had a chance to blink the sleep from his eyes. Not that he'd slept all that much. Wild dreams plagued him all night as he tried to find a comfortable spot on the floor. Dreams of his father, still alive and wandering through this strange land. Dreams of battles and conquests. Dreams of hardship and hunger.

Laura Eno. Jewel of Shaylar: Kingdoms of Chandra, Book 1 (Kindle Locations 554-557).
 

LILLIAN HOLMES AND THE LEAPING MAN BLOG TOUR

Lillian Holmes &The Leaping ManBy Ciar Cullen
Excerpt:Lillian Holmes & the Leaping ManBlurb:
At the cusp of the twentieth century, an heiress turned detective enters a world of deception and danger and must learn to trust her nemesis with both her life and her love.
Tormented by a tragic past, Miss Lillian Holmes nonetheless found the strength to go on, to become the greatest female detective of her time. To make her uncle proud. Except…he was not truly her uncle. Sherlock was a fictional character, and Lil was less a true detective than a sheltered twenty-six year old heiress with taste for mystery…and  morphine. But then she saw him. Leaping from her neighbor’s second-story window, a beautiful stranger. With the recent murders plaguing Baltimore, here was a chance to  reveal the truth.Except, the Leaping Man was far more than he seemed. A wanton creature of darkness, an entry point to a realm of deception and evil, and to a Truth she had waited countless years to uncover, he would threaten far more than Lillian’s life. He would take both her heart and soul. And she would rejoice in it.
Cian Cullen – Lillian Holmes and the Leaping Man
Lillian Holmes Takes the Myers/Briggs Personality Test


I had my heroine take a personality test, although she really thinks that sort of thing is nonsense and not provable. But I wanted to see how well I understand her. Lillian Holmes will face many, many trials in upcoming books, and it’s important for me to understand who she is, at a very basic psychological level. Honestly, I was relieved that we don’t have the same “type,” as I’m an INFJ – Introverted Intuitive Feeling Judging - (a lot of writers are), and she’s an INTJ. T is for Thinking. So, she pretty much comes up the way I’d envision her hero, Sherlock Holmes would—introverted (not shy), meticulous, and above all, favoring reason. Except she does have a soft heart, but her depression gets in the way sometimes. I was not surprised to see that Lil shares her type with Fitzwilliam Darcy. 
To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness," of self-confidence. This self-confidence is sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance, like Darcy. Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel. (Oh, Lil, is anyone good enough for you? How could you have fallen in love with your nemesis? And can’t you see that he’s taken with you as well?)
Many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a relationship). That is one reason why Lillian Holmes (and Mr. Darcy) loathes balls and the like. What to say? Why would one waste one’s time on small talk? Where is the fun in small talk? Depth! Give me an intellectual equal, she cries.
To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private people and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand. Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense.  Poor Lil, who makes sense? Certainly not a brooding vampire in love.
What is your personality type? Do you identify strongly with any fictional characters? What is their type? You might not be so surprised to find that you share a type. If you’ve never taken Myers/Briggs, it’s quite fast and fun, and can be taken here: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp A lot of psychology types hates these tests, so this is for fun. I hope you like my heroine as much as I do. And I know some of you will identify with her. That makes me happy. But I’m an INFJ, and we tend to want others to be happy. About Ciar Cullen Ciar (KEE-er) Cullen hails from Baltimore, Maryland. She started her academic life as a theater major, but when she learned she couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag she turned to archaeology, another love. She earned her degree at Indiana University, summered on digs in Greece and England, landed a gig in New Jersey, and eventually went into nonfiction publishing. Her third career is as a bureaucrat at a university. She is married to a photographer and has two cats. Eventually she hopes to retire to a small cabin, with the same husband and more cats. Ciar is not one of those authors who dreamt of writing since childhood. She took up virtual pen on a dare in mid-life and forgot to stop. She loves reading just about anything, but especially nonfiction. Some of her favorite novelists are Mark Twain, E.L. Doctorow, Roger Zelazney, and yes, Nora Roberts. When she¹s not reading or writing, she loves to knit, to study all things Major League Baseball, and to jog.

Website: www.ciarcullen.comBlog: www.ciarcullen.wordpress.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/ciar.cullenTwitter: www.twitter.com/Ciar_Cullen Tour GiveawayCiar and her publisher, Boroughs Publishing Group , will be awarding a 10-book subscription to their Lunchbox Romance line, which will include The Shopgirl and the Vampire , Ciar’s precursor to Lillian Holmes and the Leaping Man . Tour-Wide Raffle Code:a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Review:
Ciar Cullen' Lillian Holmes and The Leaping Man, is set in olde London, with the charm of the era entwined in a vampire story with a little steam punk.
The MC, Lillian Holmes, is a little different and definitely not the typical lady of the time period. She is the last surviving heiress of her family and lives in a fantasy of her own making, and has difficulty distinguishing reality from her hallucinations.

She discovers a man leaping from her neighbour's high set window in the middle of the night and is swept into a world quite different from the everyday.

The Leaping Man is  an entertaining read, as Ciar takes her readers into the early Twentieth Century, where science, machine and man began to entwine. 

Ciar has captured the era magnificently, in her descriptive text and style. The voice of this time period is brought to life through the language and mannerisms of the main character, Lillian Holme's.

I really enjoyed this take on Vampires, and even though I do not habitually read books set in this time period, Ciar captured my imagination with the storyline, the settings and the characters. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a good vampire read and to readers who enjoy steam punk and the bygone reader. I look forward to reading Ciar's second book in this series.
 

BLOG TOUR - FRACTURED LEGACY BY SKYE CALLAHAM

 TODAY, I have invited Skye Callaham to let us in on her secret to building paranormal ideas and legends.

Welcome Skye and thanks for dropping by.

I wish you only the best of successes with the up-coming release  of Fractured Legacy. I must say, the cover really tells its own story.  It looks and feels really creepy! 

 


Carolyn 

Fractured Legacy by Skye Callahan
(Darkness Bound #1)
Publication date: October 22nd, 2013
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy


Synopsis: Kaylyn Anderson's fascination with abandoned places and dark creatures kindled her work as a paranormal investigator. But when dreams begin to distort reality, she questions what is real and pulls away from everyone she trusts. The opportunity to investigate the Teague Hotel--a long-abandoned landmark that has always piqued her curiosity--provides a chance to redeem herself. Unraveling the hotel's secrets won't be easy, but Kaylyn soon finds herself the target of a dark entity that has been trapped in the building for decades. 
If Kaylyn stands any hope of defeating the spirit, she'll have to accept that her fears are real and convince fellow investigators that she hasn't lost her mind.
Goodreads | Pinterest | Chapter 1 & 2 | Giveaway    Building Paranormal Ideas from Legends Skye Callahan
Paranormal stories rely on the author's ability to create a world that encourages the reader's suspension of belief. 
I don’t do a lot of plotting, but making sure your characters paranormal abilities (and inabilities) are clear and consistent requires some planning. You don't want to get halfway through the book and have to explain how/why a character suddenly gains a new ability or inability (unless of course you have a good reason to do so). That's like knowing that the character has a cell phone in his/her pocket, but when they are locked in a room, they can't figure out how to call out for help. Likewise, a vampire who can suddenly "glamour" a victim two-thirds of the way through the book when he's never had/used/mentioned that ability is equally problematic. When I need inspiration for paranormal or supernatural characters, I look for old myths and legends to see where the creatures originated. Creating a basis for supernatural occurrences within historical beliefs creates credibility with the reader. There is a reason certain stories survive, and a reason why certain supernatural elements - ghosts, vampires, werewolves - are so widespread. And understanding when and why legends originated may give you hints into how you can adapt the legend for your own purposes.
The paranormal entities in Fractured Legacy aren’t derived from one particular legend. But there were some old myths that influenced the decisions I made while writing. For example, there are a number of legends that reference the vengeful spirit of a mother who lost her child. In Japanese folklore, the Mu-onna has been known to protect children, but she may also try to merge with them—to do so she must put the child’s soul to sleep. You’ll have to read Fractured Legacy to see what aspects of the legend made it into the story. 
Don't just set out to be original or do something different—give your mind a few pieces of kindling and let it do the rest as it tries to make sense of the legends and stories. The originality will follow as your imagination fills in the gaps.

AUTHOR BIO: Skye Callahan was born and raised in Ohio and has seen enough unbelievable stuff to feed a lifetime of paranormal stories. When not writing or working at the dayjob she hangs out with her ethnomusicologist husband and pet ferrets, reads, and takes long walks through the cemetery. 
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