Helena Halme's Blog, page 5

Happy Walburg’s Eve!

The 1st May, or Walburg (Vappu in Finnish), is a huge celebration in the Nordic countries. It’s when students, both young and old, wear their graduation hats and party until late at night.

In normal times, on the Eve of Vappu, people take to the streets in huge numbers. In the Finnish capital, Helsinki, a statue called Havis Amanda, is adorned with her own white cap.

A Different Vappu This Year

In 2020, things will be a little different. 

‘This year Vappu will have to be celebrated without big crowds,’  said Prime Minister Sanna Marin of Finland, warning revellers to take responsibility and not congregate this year.

I sincerely hope these measures in Finland, and all over the world, mean that as many deaths as possible will be avoided in the future and that we will get back to normal soon.

I haven’t been to Finland for Vappu in several years or even decades. Every year, I vow to go and celebrate this student festival. Obviously this year, with a 14-day quarantine in place for anyone entering the country in Finland and a lockdown in the UK, it’s impossible, but perhaps next year this long-held dream of mine will come true.

Thinking about it, wouldn’t it make a good start to a book? Returning to your home country for a special celebration… will she rekindle an old love? Find out long-held family secrets? Rediscover the delights of home and decide to stay? Or will the celebrations turn into a nightmare where one friend will be pitched against another…? OK, getting carried away now! See how these things start?

New: Buy Books Straight from this Author

Good news! You can now buy books straight from this author. I’ve been wanting to set up a new online shop for some time and, finally, this week, I managed to complete the task. (The things you achieve when you can’t get into your usual writing routine…)

Books Available Widely

In these uncertain times, authors like many other creative entrepreneurs, need to put in place alternative ways of receiving income from our work. As you may know, all of my books are already available from various eBook stores including Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Barnes&Noble, and GooglePlay. In addition to this, any brick-and-mortar bookstore can order copies (in normal times, that is), and the books are also available from libraries all across the world. All you need to do is to ask the library to order the book – and I still get paid even if the books are free for you to borrow. It’s a win-win!

It’s Their Store, Not Mine

But there are downsides to all of these re-sellers. In short, I’m selling my books in their stores, not mine. I do not have much control over how much they push my books in front of the readers, however much I pay in advertising or play with their algorithms.

Plus, I have no control over their finances. I cannot do anything if, for example, due to a worldwide pandemic, a bookshop (either a high street store or an online retailer) closes and stops selling my books.  I will most probably have to wait for a long time for my royalties, or never get them if the retailer goes bankrupt. Luckily, at the moment, I sell most of my books through Amazon in digital format, something which looks like one of the winning formulas in this current world crisis.

Cashflow

Even if the retailer is financially stable and open, I have to wait up to 90 days for my royalties to come through from the re-sellers. This is a long time for any entrepreneur, but for writers, the return on investment is even longer than this. Cashflow is a real issue for many authors. Here’s why.

Most writers take one to two years to produce an edited, proofread, and formatted book with a professionally designed cover. All the costs of the cover, editing, formatting, and proofreading have to be paid upfront. If you are self-published, you won’t have the cushion of an advance from a publisher, which should cover the research and writing phase of producing a saleable title. So any return on the investment for an indie author will be at least one year plus 90 days away. An author writing their first title will need to fund their writing time, plus put aside a sum to pay for the publishing services, perhaps years before they press ‘publish’. So you can see how a site that offers the sales proceeds from your books immediately after a sale would be highly attractive…?

New Payhip Shop

There are several answers to this cashflow problem. You can set up a shop directly on your own website, and this is certainly something I am aiming to do next.

But there is also another simple solution. Today I took the plunge and set up my own shop on Payhip. This site will pay any proceeds from a sale directly to my bank account. I will not have to wait 90 days for a settlement but get paid as soon as a reader purchases my books.

If you are an author and would like to find out more about Payhip, go here. (Or go to www.selfpublishingcoach.com where I have written a more comprehensive post on Payhip). 

My Payhip shop includes the newly updated book, Write Your Story: Turn Your Life Into Fiction In 10 Easy Steps, plus all the books in The Nordic Heart as well as Love on the Island series, and my other fiction titles.

Discount: 25% Off For A Limited Time

If you are a reader who wants to support a writer check out their Payhip shop. If they don’t have one, encourage them to upload their books to Payhip. The link to my shop is here.

To celebrate my new shop, I have a special discount for you. Use the coupon code HELENAHALME to receive 25% on all my books on Payhip. But hurry, this offer ends 30 April 2020 .

Go on, check out Payhip now!

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In lockdown, who you gonna call? Submariners!

My husband has been telling me that the reason we are doing so well in lockdown is because of the submariners’ patrol rules he follows. When he told me about it, I realized this is nothing new: these are the rules we have been following all our married life! We’re celebrating 36 years in May, so some of it must have worked. 

Reading Gives You Hope

Reading gives you hope in these dark times.

I am an optimist at heart

I hope you are keeping safe and well.

Hope is a difficult emotion to keep alive in these testing times. It is said that the human brain cannot cope with the emotions of fear and hope at the same time, so we have to choose which one we let in. I strongly believe that we must remain positive.

You may have noticed from my books, that I sometimes visit very dark places to write my novels, but that at the end of the day, there is always hope.

Today I hope that my family, friends and readers keep safe and well. I hope that the people in the world will come out of this crisis with more kindness in their hearts. And I hope that we will soon again be able to meet up with family and friends to kiss and hug each other without fear.

Reading Gives You Hope

As well as giving hope reading is a hugely relaxing activity. It’s proven to lower your stress levels, boost your sleep, and bring joy to your life.

So in today, I thought I’d give you links to several free book promotions. There are a couple of new ones and one that is ending soon. Enjoy!

Last chance for free books!

Don’t miss your chance to download one of these fabulous free books. The First in Series Romance Promotion ends 30 March, in only three days’ time!

These bestselling authors are offering a delightful selection of first-in-series books. This promotion includes my novel, THE ENGLISH HEART, plus many other free books.

This huge free sale ends very soon, so don’t miss your chance to discover a bunch of new authors. Have a look at the freebies here, or tap the image above.

Ladies Love Literature Sale

Here are the details of the new book sale. This one includes everything: books, samples, excerpts, teasers…all for FREE!

This promotion runs through till April 02, 2020. It includes my Nordic family drama, COFFEE AND VODKA, plus many more (up to 50) titles loved by avid fiction readers.

Tap the image above or go here to browse the selection–I’m sure you’ll find a story (or two or ten!) that’ll pique your interest.

Travel by Book

Finally, here is a set of free books to enable you to travel to exotic locations through reading. This promotion includes my recent novel, THE ISLAND AFFAIR. The first in a new series, it is a family drama set in the Åland Islands and chock-full of mystery and passion.Go here to browse this selection of special reads that will take you around the world in your imagination!

I hope you will find a new favourite book (and author!) through these free promotions.

Keep reading, stay safe and well! xx

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Happy Mother’s Day from Self-Isolation

Happy Mother’s Day UK! I hope you are able to spend it with family, even if it is virtually online from self-isolation.

We, like so many others around the world, are staying at home in self-isolation, so I will only get to see my children and granddaughter via the screen.

The Englishman will only be able to telephone his mother, who is very elderly (she’s 99), the old-fashioned way.  I’m sure many of you will also be doing this today.

We’ve been at home only for three days now, but I am already feeling the strain. Yesterday when our son brought us some groceries, I got very tearful when I realized I could only see him from a distance and couldn’t hug him. A mother’s instinct to hold a child close, how ever grown-up they are, is so strong.

But today I’ve resolved not to be sad, but to be happy that we are all healthy so far and safely tucked up inside our homes waiting for this virus to pass (or a vaccine to be developed).

I hope you have a wonderful day, even if it is in isolation and away from your children and grandchildren.

Would you like to see more posts like this? Join my Blog RSS Feed and get new posts dropped straight into your mailbox here. 

 

 

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A Bizarre Island Holiday

I’ve just arrived back home to London from a very bizarre island holiday.

Why Did We Decide to Travel?

We’d been planning for a trip to Maui for more than twelve months. It was the highlight of our five-year work and holiday calendar. An annual convention, organised in five different, rotating locations was taking place there. It’s fair to say that Maui is the highlight of this rotation.

But a week ago, the coronavirus was already spreading through Europe. California (our layover was in San Francisco) was also affected. I had just returned from Finland, which had very few cases, but the authorities were already planning for a large-scale pandemic.

Even though it was difficult to decide whether to travel halfway around the world or not, neither of us wanted to miss the wonderful opportunity to see and experience Hawaii. And we kept receiving daily assurances from the organisers of the convention that it was going ahead. So, finally, just a few days before we were due to travel, we decided to make the trip.

Convention Cancelled

Having made the trip, and after being detained by US Immigration in San Francisco, you can imagine how delighted we were to arrive in Maui after the long journey. However, on the morning after our arrival, the whole event was cancelled. Five days of seminars, events and talks, to be attended by nearly 3,000 people, would not go ahead. I’d miss the highlight of the event to me: a talk by the women’s empowerment activist, Gena Davis. (And the star of Thelma and Louise)

Jetlagged, confused and stunned, we tried to make sense of the message from the CEO of the organisation. Together with some 200 other convention-goers, we were already on site. We’d travelled for 24 hours to get there.

Two other colleagues from the Englishman’s organisation were there.

When we got in touch with some of our counterparts, we found that attendees from California, Canada, and Australia were also either en route or already in Maui. This was a bonus: a limited business meeting with those that were present went ahead. We were able to spend some quality time with these people – our friends – who we only get to see once per year. (There were some exotic cocktails involved as we drowned our sorrows).

What To Do Now?

We soon faced the difficult decision on what to do with the rest of the time in Maui. There was no guidance from any government, but it was soon apparent that the spread of the virus was much more rapid and serious than it was when we’d left the UK.

I began plotting a Pros and Cons spreadsheet (I’m like that).

In pros, life in Maui was idyllic. To some extent, we felt completely isolated from the events unfolding across the world. It felt the best place to weather the storm of COVID-19. We’d booked and paid for an Airbnb villa for the post-convention holiday anyway. So why not stay as planned?

In the Cons, there was one important consideration.

The Englishman felt he needed to return to the UK. He runs an organisation linked to the construction industry. With lockdowns happening all over the world, and building sites being closed, he was keen to get back so that he could support his fire-fighting staff and manage the many great health and financial challenges that this virus is presenting to the industry.

Soon it also became quite apparent that travel restrictions would be in place a lot more rapidly than anyone had anticipated.

The cost of cancelling the holiday part of our stay was another worry. So when Airbnb announced that they’d offer full refunds for holidays booked for 14 March to 14 April, I felt it was a sign. (I love Airbnb even more now!)

Maui Isn’t Easy To Leave Behind

Still, it wasn’t easy to make the decision to leave the holiday island behind. I loved Maui. It’s relaxed, people are incredibly friendly. It’s very warm and sunny. There are whales to spot at sea. We fell asleep with our windows open while listening to the waves crash into the beach and caught the same surf while swimming in the ocean. There were some stunning sunsets. We drank some amazing cocktails. To say life in Maui was idyllic is an understatement.

Many times we wondered if indeed Maui was the best place for us to see out the international emergency. The island still has very few cases compared to other places around the world, and their response to the COVID-19 outbreak seems more professional than elsewhere.

And many, many people staying at the hotel felt we were being alarmist. As we were preparing to leave, new holidaymakers were arriving. They were taking advantage of the reduced rates the hotel was offering.

Back in London

Today, however, I am very pleased we are back home in London. I woke to the news that California is ordering its population to stay at home and that Maui is closing restaurants and bars, with only essential travel allowed. There have even been demonstrations at the airport in Kahului, telling tourists to go home.

Now I’m not certain we would have been able to leave the island if we postponed our departure any further. As idyllic as it was in Maui, if you’re sick, or your nearest and dearest are in danger of falling ill, the last place you want to be is away. Thousands and thousands of miles away with a ten-hour time difference to boot.

Self-isolation

Now we are back, we’ve been advised that in order to try to protect others from possible infection and to avoid the virus, we should self-isolate for 14 days. This is no problem for us. As a writer, I’m used to working from home, as is the Englishman. (Mind you, it’s only been less than 24 hours

Change of Genre?

Like many other writers, I often want to change the genre I write in. I want to escape the shackles of the romance genre and write something gritty. Fair enough, my Nordic fiction isn’t exactly bodice-ripping, Hallmark movie type of romance, but neither is there too much mystery and absolutely no murders, in my books.

Manuscript Nearly Ready

For a while now I’ve had a manuscript in my virtual drawer that I every now and then look at and wonder if I’ll ever publish.

It’s a gripping tale of friendship, blackmail and deceit, set in New York. The manuscript is nearly complete; I’ve been writing it on and off for about ten years. The problem is that although there is a love story at the centre of the book, it’s essentially a psychological thriller. Whereas my readers know me as a romance writer.

If You Don’t Know What To Do Ask Your Readers

Looking at the manuscript on my computer screen, I came upon the idea of asking my readers what they thought. Would you pick up a psychological thriller written by yours truly? And if so, would you think it’d be wise to use another author name, something befitting the genre, like H I Floor?

I’m posing this question to you, and please reply in the comments below!

I also asked my mailing list if they’d be upset if I had a change of genre, as it were. (Sounds like a change of heart, which I guess it in a way is).

Surprising Results

I was thrilled (appropriate adjective, don’t you think?) about all replies to my question whether members of my mailing list would be tempted to read a psychological thriller written by me. Hundreds of them/you completed the short questionnaire with some just delightful comments!

Drumroll: here are the results…

The vast majority–a whopping 86%–would like to read a psychological thriller by me, and some 70% thought I shouldn’t change my pen name.


Here are some of the lovely comments I received:

“I love psychological thrillers, and I would read a book by you in this genre! It wouldn’t matter if you changed your name or not. I would still read your book.”

“Even though I don’t read thrillers, I think it’s great that you’re diversifying and I wish you lots of luck!”

“I think it is wonderful for a writer to be able to write in more than one genre. Using the same name makes it easier for your fans to follow you across different genres.”

“I absolutely love them!  Publish please!”

I am humbled by the response and will definitely get on with the book. I need to finish the third book in the Love on the Island series first but watch this space, it’ll definitely happen now! A change of genre and a new psychological thriller is on its way!

Sign up to get a free Ebook copy of  The Day We Met

If you’d like to read a digital copy of The Day We Met, you can get a free copy of the Ebook when you sign to my Readers Group mailing list. You’ll also be added to my email list. You’ll receive emails with book offers, news from my writing life, and other freebies. I will never, ever spam you and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Tap here and sign up today!

 

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The Day We Met Out in Paperback!

The Day We Met, a prequel story to my new Nordic fiction series, Love on the Island, is now available in paperback!

This short story introduces the two main characters, Finnish journalist Alicia and a British doctor, Liam. Read the blurb below to find out more.

The Day We Met

Do you immediately know when you meet THE ONE?

It’s a snowy day at Uppsala University in Sweden where Alicia is studying English. A migraine is threatening to ruin her day.

The last thing she expects is to meet the man of her dreams.

Liam, a recently qualified British doctor, is in Uppsala attending a medical conference when a beautiful leggy blonde chooses to sit at the same table as him in the busy student canteen. She’s not the first woman Liam has been attracted to, but there’s something beguiling about this young student and he cannot take his eyes off her.

Get this charming story of love at first sight in a cold climate today!

Sign up to get a free Ebook copy of  The Day We Met

If you’d like to read a digital copy of The Day We Met, you can get a free copy of the Ebook when you sign to my Readers Group mailing list. You’ll also be added to my email list. You’ll receive emails with book offers, news from my writing life, and other freebies. I will never, ever spam you and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Tap here and sign up today!

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How Do You Like To Read?

I’d love to know how you like to read. In particular, what format do you prefer?

January is the time to plan next year’s goals, but this year, because it’s a new decade, I also want to look a little more ahead. And that means planning what type of new formats I’d like to publish in the next ten years.

Ebook and Paperback

All of my 13 titles are published in both Ebook and paperback, including The Nordic Heart Box Set of Books 1-4. As of last March, they are also available across various online platforms and shops, including, of course, the mighty Amazon, but also iBooks, GooglePlay, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, plus others.

The paperback versions, too, are available in shops in various countries. Most importantly bookshops can order them via Gardners Wholesalers and Waterstones in the UK.

In Scandinavia, Adlibris stocks my titles, as does Barnes and Noble in the US, to name a few.  There are a couple of selected bookshops elsewhere, such as Mariehmans Bookhandel in the islands of Åland where my latest series of books are set. There’s even a homeware store, Åre Hemslöjd in the Swedish ski resort, which sells The Christmas Heart. This is a love story set in the beautiful snow-capped Swedish Alps. As you can see, I have been quite imaginative in my distribution!

Audio, Large Print Or Translation Rights?

But this is not enough. Many of my readers want to have my books in audio, large print, or in translation. So I want to add as many new formats to my current set of books as possible. I’ve been approached by a Turkish publisher, but I am keen to also get my books out in the Nordic languages (prioritising Finnish and Swedish). I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been asked if my books are available in my two other languages, so I think it’s the time! I also think the German market would be interested in my books, so to sell my rights to a German publisher is another priority for 2020-2030.

How Do You Like To Read?

In order to decide which new format to prioritize, I’d love to hear from you. Do you prefer to read books on your Kindle (or other E-Reader), in paperback, large print or audio?

Would you like to read my books in another language? If so, let me know what language(s) you prefer.

Just tap here and answer the two questions or fill the form below.

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Thank you! Your replies will be invaluable to me.

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New Year, New Freebies, and New Resolutions

Happy New Year! I hope you’ve had a lovely, relaxing (!?) Christmas holiday and a good start to the new decade?

New Year Not Skiing

The Englishman and I spent Christmas with family and New Year in the stunningly beautiful Swedish ski resort, Åre, where one of my books, The Christmas Heart, is set. It was a wonderfully relaxing break, although the weather conspired against us a little. Strong winds and high temperatures prevented us from going up the slopes to enjoy some thrilling downhill skiing. Instead, we walked a lot, had a sauna every day and ate good food. We drank excellent wines, beers, and a lot of champagne on New Year’s Eve! And most importantly, we spent some quality time with good friends.

Productivity for Authors

Back at my desk in London, still tired from travel but mentally rested, I am looking forward to the New Year – and a New Decade.

Even though social media is full of posts about January Blues, I am raring to go! I am, as my good friend and self-publishing guru, Joanna Penn says, a January person. During the New Year’s break, I listened to her nonfiction book called, Productivity for Authors. In it, Joanna lists several methods to get your writing done. Her tips on making your working days and weeks more productive go from the correct mindset to organizing files and passwords. (This book would be useful for anyone who’s running their own business, not just indie authors.)

[image error]When Joanna wrote that she gets enthused about the New Year, I nearly punched the air in recognition. At home, I am surrounded by people who find this time of year difficult, so I’ve always felt slightly guilty about being so positive and full of energy in January.

New Year’s Resolutions

But back to my New Year’s resolutions. I am planning to write and publish four more titles this year. The first will be the third book in the Love on the Island -series, set in the Finnish Åland Islands. There’ll be a new story set again in Åre, Sweden, and one a non-fiction title about writing a romance series. The fourth book I am not yet decided on. I have a few ideas, but I’ll wait until the latter part of 2020 to see which one of them becomes irresistible. I may revisit Åland Islands again, or I might write a book set in Tampere. Since publishing Coffee and Vodka, a Nordic family saga, I haven’t really written about my home town.

Four new books may sound like a lot to you, but both the 3rd (yet unnamed) novel in the current Åland Island series, as well as the nonfiction title, are well underway already, and I have an extensive outline for the new winter story set in Åre. So wish me luck and lots of productive writing days in 2020!

New Formats

In addition to writing more books, I also plan to make this decade all about adding as many new formats to my current set of books as possible. (As advised by Joanna Penn in the above book).

At the moment all my 12 titles are available in Ebook and paperback, but I’d love to offer all of these books also in audio, large print and in translation. I’ve been approached by a Turkish publisher, but I am keen to first get my books out in the Nordic languages (prioritizing Finnish and Swedish). I’ve lost count of how many times I’m asked if my books are available in my two other languages, so I think it’s time.

I also think the German market would be interested in my books, so to sell my rights to a German publisher is also a priority for 2020.

New Freebies!

But I do want to start the New Year with new freebies! I’ve joined a group of other authors to bring you a set of free books. This is a delightful selection of new stories by bestselling writers. These books are available for free for a limited time and require you to sign up to a mailing list. (Naturally, you can unsubscribe at any time.)

This promotion includes my Nordic family drama, Coffee and Vodka, set in my home town of Tampere. It’s a story of Eva, who left her home town some thirty years ago. Estranged from her father, she now lives and works as a language teacher in Stockholm. Going back to Tampere to visit her grandmother for the final time brings memories of her dramatic childhood flooding back and Eva has to finally confront her past.

Just tap here get your free books now!

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