Charlie Bray's Blog, page 13
July 2, 2013
Book Editing, Proofreading and FREE BOOK MARKETING at Indietribe
The Indietribe already offers extremely professional and competitive proof reading and book editing services but we have now considerably enhanced those services by bolting on a considerable amount of free book marketing.
Have a look at the services we offer:
£5 per 1000 words will ensure that your manuscript is free of any spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, or typos.You will then be able to publish with confidence.
Style guides are used and the necessary distinction between UK English and American English is applied.
We study every line of your text twice, correcting errors as we go along. Our tracked changes will enable you to accept or discard every suggestion, so that you remain entirely in control.
A one-off £195 ($302 U.S.Dollars) fee will ensure that your manuscript is critiqued. We’ll assess your story’s strengths and weaknesses, and show you how to improve plot structure, scene development, characterization, dialogue, physical setting, narrative style, and other elements.
Effectively the critique will be a macro edit, or an assessment of the wide picture. Are there holes in the plot? Are there loose ends? Is there continuity throughout? Is there enough tension? Does the story reach a satisfactory climax? Are the characters believable and has each one got a distinctive voice?
FREE BOOK MARKETING INCLUDING A BOOK REVIEW
Whichever of these services that you entrust to us, we will bolt on the following:
A free independent book review
A free Showcase of your book in our popular Showcase series
A free illustrated entry, by genre, in both of our Indie Book Stores
SATISFIED CUSTOMERS
Just look what Tanya Aranguren told Goodreads:
I just wanted to share my great experience with Charlie Bray of The Indie Tribe. I’ve been writing my novel for two years and as a stay-at-home Mom on a tight budget, this started out as a strictly non-funded project. But as the book developed, I realized how much I cared about its success and felt that the book (and I!) deserved to invest in some professional help to make it the best it can possibly be.
For a very reasonable fee (its tailored to Indie authors), I got a Manuscript Critique and Structured Plot through the Indie Tribe. The output was above and beyond what I had hoped for, and I’ve come out of this feeling very confident that my novel is going to reach its full potential. I was so impressed by the detailed feedback, insightful critique, and original ideas that Charlie gave me. Not only that but he’s extremely friendly, responsive, and supportive. It felt awesome to get someone professional to really take the time and care with my writing. I had tried to get this through my family and friends, and as willing as they were, not everyone has a knack for this kind of thing.
Anyway, I’m super excited to continue my novel now and am so grateful I solicited Charlie’s help. I felt he deserved a little shout out. If any of you are considering getting help with your novel, I highly recommend him.
Your book is worth the investment!! Happy writing.
Tanya
And look what Penny Springthorpe, Senior Editor of Book Cover Cafe said to our mutual client about our proofreading service:
Great work! Your proofreader is excellent. I haven’t added every comma he suggested, but I’m grateful he picked up everything he did pick up. I live in the hope that every author will care as much as you do to make sure we get it right.
Would you have any objection to passing on your proofreader’s details to me, just in case someone does ask one day?
So Please do not hesitate to contact Charlie Bray if you would like to take advantage of our Proofreading and Book Critique services. Even if you are not yet ready you can pay a £50 deposit on either and reserve space in his diary.
Book Editing, Proofreading and FREE BOOK MARKETING
The Indietribe already offers extremely professional and competitive proof reading and book editing services but we have now considerably enhanced those services by bolting on a considerable amount of free book marketing.
Have a look at the services we offer:
£5 per 1000 words will ensure that your manuscript is free of any spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, or typos.You will then be able to publish with confidence.
Style guides are used and the necessary distinction between UK English and American English is applied.
We study every line of your text twice, correcting errors as we go along. Our tracked changes will enable you to accept or discard every suggestion, so that you remain entirely in control.
A one-off £195 ($302 U.S.Dollars) fee will ensure that your manuscript is critiqued. We’ll assess your story’s strengths and weaknesses, and show you how to improve plot structure, scene development, characterization, dialogue, physical setting, narrative style, and other elements.
Effectively the critique will be a macro edit, or an assessment of the wide picture. Are there holes in the plot? Are there loose ends? Is there continuity throughout? Is there enough tension? Does the story reach a satisfactory climax? Are the characters believable and has each one got a distinctive voice?
FREE BOOK MARKETING INCLUDING A BOOK REVIEW
Whichever of these services that you entrust to us, we will bolt on the following:
A free independent book review
A free Showcase of your book in our popular Showcase series
A free illustrated entry, by genre, in both of our Indie Book Stores
SATISFIED CUSTOMERS
Just look what Tanya Aranguren told Goodreads:
I just wanted to share my great experience with Charlie Bray of The Indie Tribe. I’ve been writing my novel for two years and as a stay-at-home Mom on a tight budget, this started out as a strictly non-funded project. But as the book developed, I realized how much I cared about its success and felt that the book (and I!) deserved to invest in some professional help to make it the best it can possibly be.
For a very reasonable fee (its tailored to Indie authors), I got a Manuscript Critique and Structured Plot through the Indie Tribe. The output was above and beyond what I had hoped for, and I’ve come out of this feeling very confident that my novel is going to reach its full potential. I was so impressed by the detailed feedback, insightful critique, and original ideas that Charlie gave me. Not only that but he’s extremely friendly, responsive, and supportive. It felt awesome to get someone professional to really take the time and care with my writing. I had tried to get this through my family and friends, and as willing as they were, not everyone has a knack for this kind of thing.
Anyway, I’m super excited to continue my novel now and am so grateful I solicited Charlie’s help. I felt he deserved a little shout out. If any of you are considering getting help with your novel, I highly recommend him.
Your book is worth the investment!! Happy writing.
Tanya
And look what Penny Springthorpe, Senior Editor of Book Cover Cafe said to our mutual client about our proofreading service:
Great work! Your proofreader is excellent. I haven’t added every comma he suggested, but I’m grateful he picked up everything he did pick up. I live in the hope that every author will care as much as you do to make sure we get it right.
Would you have any objection to passing on your proofreader’s details to me, just in case someone does ask one day?
So Please do not hesitate to contact Charlie Bray if you would like to take advantage of our Proofreading and Book Critique services. Even if you are not yet ready you can pay a £50 deposit on either and reserve space in his diary.
July 1, 2013
Top Fiction Books on Indietribe – as at 29th June
The Top Fiction Books is based on the number of sales and click-throughs from INDIETRIBE to Amazon in the last week. Whilst every click through does not lead to a sale, it is certainly evidence of a high level of interest, so the 10 authors should be justly proud that their books are being noticed and look forward to them being best selling books. We monitor click-throughs and do not count multiple click-throughs from one computer.
One great way to get in to the Top 10 and stay there is to sign up to our brand new service:
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR BOOK TO ZOOM UP THE AMAZON SALES RANKINGS?
LET INDIETRIBE SHOW YOU HOW
To buy any book featured below, either click on the FRONT COVER to buy from Amazon.com or the TITLE to buy from Amazon.co.uk
IF YOU DO DECIDE TO BUY BOOKS, PLEASE BUY THEM WHILST YOU’RE LINKED THROUGH TO AMAZON FROM INDIETRIBE. THIS WILL HELP US TO ACCURATELY COMPILE THIS WEEKLY LIST.
Anyway, with no further ado, please welcome this week’s Top 10:
1 SEBASTIAN by Christoph Fischer
Stays at 1
2 LUCK OF THE WEISSENSTEINERS by Christoph Fischer
Up from 4
3 THE PERSECUTION OF MILDRED DUNLAP by Paulette Mahurin
Down from 2
4 JAZZ BABY by Beem Weeks
Down from 3
5 CONFESSIONS OF A CATHOLIC SCHOOL DROPOUT by Patti Lavell
Up from 6
6 OPEN HOUSE: ARISTOCRATS, SQUATTERS & GHOSTS SHARE A CASTLE by Charlie Bray
Down from 5
7 POEMS OF LIVING, LOVING & LORE by J C Edwards
Up from 8
8 DEATH OF CARTHAGE by Robin E. Levin
Up from 9
9 WHITE JADE by Alex Lukeman
Up from 10
10 RANI OF RAMPUR by Suneeta Misra
Down from 7
So congratulations to the books and authors in The Top Fiction Books This Week
Happy reading and writing until the next Top 10
To help your book reach the Top 10 or help it to stay there, you should consider showcasing your book.
If you have one book to promote for the first time, click here to showcase
If you have more than one book to promote for the first time, click here to showcase.
If you would like to repeat one of your previous showcase entries, click here
Why not pop into our new Chat Lounge and Message Board. Here you can meet other members, tell us something exciting about your writing or reading, and leave a message for others on our Message Board
June 30, 2013
Showcase 24: Eight Top eBooks for Your Kindle
Welcome to more eBooks showcased for your pleasure. Eight top books, all self published, vie for your attention, hopefully all on the way to becoming best selling books.
Why not showcase your book and let our members find another gem to read?
If you have one book to promote for the first time, click here to showcase
If you have more than one book to promote for the first time, click here to showcase.
If you would like to repeat one of your previous showcase entries, click here
Buying books from Showcase is really easy. Click on the image to buy from Amazon.com, or the link in each book’s description to buy from Amazon.co.uk
IF YOU DO DECIDE TO BUY BOOKS, PLEASE BUY THEM WHILST YOU’RE LINKED THROUGH TO AMAZON FROM INDIETRIBE. This helps us to compile an accurate Top 10 Indie Books each week.
So here we go with our 24th Showcase:
THE SHERIFF AND THE BRANDING IRON MURDERS by D.R.Meredith
When cowboy artist Willie Russell is murdered on the Branding Iron Ranch, Sheriff Charles Matthews faces a mystery that seems built on the bones of the past. Willie Russell leaves behind sketches that illustrate a century-old legend of a brutal outlaw, a beautiful young woman, and the lost Santiago Crucifix, a three foot tall cross of solid gold. With only the sketches, the foot prints of Johnny Brentwood, and very little else, Charles focuses on the eerie links between past and present events. Were Willie’s sketches the story of the past, or a portent of the future?A fan of mysteries since a childhood obsession with Agatha Christie and Rex Stout, D. R. Meredith has written three mystery series set in the Texas Panhandle, a little-known area of the state even to other Texans. Two titles, MURDER BY IMPULSE and MURDER BY DECEPTION, in the John Lloyd Branson series were finalists for the Anthony Award. An equal obsession with the American West inspired her to create two historical sagas, A TIME TOO LATE and THE RECKONING, which she describes as “two hanky books for readers who want their hearts tugged while satisfying their curiosity about the Old West.” The book review editor for ROUNDUP MAGAZINE for more than twenty years, Meredith owns a private library of more than 5,000 books on the American West.
Also available from Amazon.co.uk
OPEN HOUSE: Aristocrats, Squatters and Ghosts Share a Castle by Charlie Bray
Barnes the butler sees that Cove Castle is falling apart at the seams. He sees creditors visiting daily, and he sees Lord Cove, the affable, nice but dim, patriarch handing out Constables and Picassos like confetti to pay them. No wonder they are smiling as they scuttle away. He sees his lordship order a Thai bride and use the watch tower to conduct a clandestine relationship with the mother of his son-in-law.Barnes also sees activists, led by his lordship’s wayward granddaughter, laying claim to the adjoining woods, his other granddaughter cavorting naked in the moat with her friends, and a sinister man in black flitting around weirdly. He sees his great grandson, the unlikely named, Che Guevara unfurling banners from the turrets and running around the castle like a ninja warrior.Used to a more Downton Abbey type of existence, the butler decides he has to intervene.
A visit to Cove Castle will remind you of Wodehouse’s Blandings Castle and show you what Downton Abbey could be like in the 21st CenturyScale the castle walls and come along for the ride. Enjoy this side-splitting farce from the moment feisty aristocrat, Lady Caroline enters Cove Castle airspace, right up to the final scene when…Well, you’ll just have to read it to find out.
Also available from Amazon.co.uk
THE BANE OF KANTHOS by Alex Dain
Deep in the dark heart of the Amazon, adventurer Robert Lansing is hurled into an alternate world, a primitive place where Vikings rove the seas, magic abounds and wizards toil to release an ancient curse upon the inhabitants. Armed only with sword and shield, Lansing must defend the beautiful Princess Ilyana and battle a nightmare horror from another dimension. If he fails, all will be lost…“…this is a story worthy of a Robert E. Howard pen…like Howard’s Conan the Barbarian…”
Tony-Paul Vissage, author of The Night Man Cometh
Alex Dain writes fantasy fiction. His stories were successfully rejected by all the best fantasy magazines and publishers until publication of a Sword and Sorcery novel, The Bane of Kanthos, originally an ACE Double. He has now picked up his sword again. The new, expanded and revised edition of The Bane of Kanthos is Book I in an ongoing series of adventures: The Chronicles of the Gates. Alex lives in Northern California.
Also available from Amazon.co.uk
DARK THRONE by R. Peter Ubtrent
“Dark Throne” is the third in the absorbing and masterfully-written ‘Dark Pilgrim series’ which has at its heart Ailanthus and his small band of friends of assorted species. “I am Bhasan Volans, son of Deneb Aquila Volans, and I am the Emperor of the Imperium,” announces Ailanthus during a meeting with the Druzsni leadership. He is only pretending at the time. Whether he is or isn’t, and whether he can or cannot bring himself to assume this role, is the uniting theme of this book, set in a very disunited galaxy. Ailanthus feels nothing but antipathy towards the Imperium. Can he really be expected to lead it? Can he bring peace to the huge diversity of co-existing lifeforms that include humans, Kroor, Dwad Mehstiv, Ynos, Morype Slugs, H’Chalk and Druzsni. If that is not enough, the Lord Cardinals of The Church of the Blessed Prophet continue to scheme and complicate matters in their attempts to retain control of both the Church and the Imperium. Can Ailanthus control them?
I feel this book is even more neatly structured than its predecessors. It opens and closes with references to the Ynos, threatened at first but posing a threat themselves at the end. There is betrayal throughout, in small and big gestures. Not only does Ailanthus face it, but he knows he will perpetrate it himself if he is to unite the warring galaxy. In the prologue we see Marines spilling out of their ship “like a virus”. Another virus runs rampant both through the galaxy and the book. The epilogue closes with the observation that humans are chaotic, but this meticulously organized and tightly constructed novel suggests the exact opposite!
Also available from Amazon.co.uk
THE DARK HORDE by Brewin
1989, rural Victoria, Australia. Something is preying upon the township of Howqua Hills. Brian Derwent, head of the local Police Station, must simultaneously grapple with the investigation, his disintegrating personal life and unseen forces that are not of this world.Part thriller, part crime-fiction, all supernatural horror, The Dark Horde tells of the return of an ancient evil that is neither stoppable nor comprehensible…
* Indie Excellence Awards 2013 – Finalist (Horror) *
* Indie Excellence Awards 2013 – Finalist (Thriller) *
* Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards 2012 – Honorable Mention (Genre Fiction) *
* Coffin Hop Flash Fiction Contest 2012 – First Place *
Also available from Amazon.co.uk
PRIVILEGED WISHES by Rebecca Forster
Grace McCreary swears she tried to stop her sister-in-law from jumping from her penthouse balcony but the police have a different take on the situation. They arrest Grace for murder which puts her brother, Senatorial candidate Matthew McCreary, in a spotlight he doesn’t relish. Nor is he thrilled when Grace seeks out his former lover, Josie Baylor-Bates, to act as her defense attorney. Josie, who has sworn off rich clients, agrees to defend Grace but even she isn’t sure why. She swears she believes in the woman innocence but in her heart she wants to prove that Matthew made a mistake letting her go.
Stepping back into the world of privilege and power, forced to face her feelings for a man she once loved, Josie is determined to win this case – even if she loses everything she holds dear.
“Living in Los Angeles makes one aware that the rich have a leg up in our legal system. People of privilege have a lot to protect and people they love can be at the end of the list.” Rebecca Forster
She marketed a world-class spa when it was still called a gym, did business in China before there were western toilettes at the Great Wall and mucked around with the sheep to find out exactly how her client’s fine wool clothing was manufactured. Then Rebecca wrote her first book and found her passion.
Now, over twenty-five books later, she is a USA Today and Amazon best selling author and writes full time, penning thrillers that explore the emotional impact of the justice system.
Also available from Amazon.co.uk
L’IMMORTALITE: Madame Lalaurie and the Voodoo Queen by T.R. Heinan
Set in the antebellum Creole community surrounding New Orleans’ St. Louis Cathedral, L’IMMORTALITE offers a fine gumbo of horror and history, comedic characters and conflicted spirituality, and serves it up Cajun style in the attic of New Orleans’ most haunted house. A reclusive lay sacristan shares the quest for immortality with a runaway slave, a sadistic socialite, and a mad scientist. Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau intercedes with a lesson in the power of compassion when their fates collide at the infamous Lalaurie Mansion. L’IMMORTALITE is based on the true story of the fire that led to the discovery of the Crescent City’s most horrifying crime, an event that has generated legends of terror for almost two centuries. The tumultuous events of the 1830′s, the lives of two powerful women, and the ghosts of a dozen characters torn from the pages of history all come to life in L’IMMORTALITEAlso available from Amazon.co.uk
PHOTOGRAPHS – A JOURNEY THROUGH SPACE, TIME AND MORE by Peter Lean
What is the connection between an old photograph, a planet with three moons, four friends travelling back home from Cornwall, and the number eleven?
And what ties together a battle on the lunar surface two thousand
years from now, a Russian time traveler, and Napoleon?Photographs is a journey through space and time by which the reader
has the opportunity to remember that real life and fiction are truly
not that far apart.
Also available from Amazon.co.uk
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR BOOK TO ZOOM UP THE AMAZON SALES RANKINGS?
LET INDIETRIBE SHOW YOU HOW
June 29, 2013
ZOOM UP AMAZON’S SALES RANKINGS
Let Indietribe boost your sales on Amazon by maximising the effect of every feature they offer
ZOOM UP AMAZON SALES RANKINGS
For a one-off £200 fee (approx $304 U.S.Dollars) we will analyse your book’s cover, title, description, price, keywords, categories, front of book content, back of book content and author page. We will provide you with a comprehensive report that will assess the current effectiveness of each of these areas and recommend action to dramatically improve your book’s sales performance and zoom it up the Amazon Sales Rankings. As a thank you for entrusting us with this essential fine-tuning of your precious book, we will feature your book prominently in a brand new Indietribe Spotlight series.
This is what we’ll do for you, in the order that we will do it:
KEYWORD SELECTION
We will read your book and create a list of the most relevant key words that should be submitted to Amazon.
We will refine this list by researching each word or phrase on Google Adwords and by using Amazon’s Key Word Indicators.
We will then recommend the seven most effective words or phrases for you to use.
AMMEND YOUR BOOK TITLE AND BOOK DESCRIPTION
We will suggest ways to integrate the keywords into your book title and book description.
We will recommend that you retain your book title, ammend it by using a strap line or change it altogether.
We will draft out an effective book description for you.
ANALYSE YOUR BOOK COVER
We will check the relevance of your front cover image, the contrast of the colours, the size and clarity of the font and report on whether or not it is a credible front cover when reduced to a thumbnail size, which is often the dimensions that potential readers base their purchasing decisions on
USE HTML ON YOUR BOOK DESCRIPTION
We can make your book description on your Amazon book page look professional and well organised by using colours for headings and inserting images if appropriate.
An attractive, professionally laid out book description will add quite a few sales to your book.
STUDY YOUR COMPETITION AND RECOMMEND THE BEST TWO CATEGORIES
We can tell you how many books your competitors are selling on a daily basis and report to you on their probable keyword choice.
We can assess your book’s potential success compared with them and suggest the most effective categories or sub categories for your book to appear in.
You should aim to be a large fish in a small pond, not a tiddler in an ocean or a giant in a puddle.
PRICE SELECTION
We will assess your strengths relative to competitors, examine their price structure and suggest the most effective price that you should be charging for your book
This price will take into consideration the length of your book and whether your book is being launched or has already established itself, at whatever level, within the market.
MAXIMISING THE ‘LOOK INSIDE FEATURE’
Having attracted potential readers to your Amazon book page, you need to close the sale as soon as possible. The title has already attracted them, that’s why they’re there now. Same with the description. The next thing they’ll do before making their final decision is to click on the ‘Look Inside’ button. What they see here now is what they get. And it’s important that they see as much as possible. This sample only allows them to view 10% of your book, and that does not want to be filled up with acknowledgements, dedications, copyright details etc. We can re-arrange this feature for you to ensure that the potential reader sees as much as possible of the actual book.
UTILISE THE VALUE OF YOUR AUTHOR PAGE
We will make sure that you maximise the effectiveness of your Amazon author page and give the reader the confidence that he is about to buy a book from a well respected, competent author, who not only looks trustworthy, but has a c.v. that exudes the skills of a trusted wordsmith.
At the end of our analysis, we will provide you with a comprehensive report upon which you will be able to base your decisions on the way forward. You may decide to implement all, some or none of our recommendations, that’s entirely up to you. But you will be aware of the steps necessary to ensure that your book climbs steadily up the Amazon Sales Rankings.
If you do decide to act, you can implement the changes yourself, or we will carry out the task on your behalf for a one-off fee of £100 (approx $152 U.S.Dollars)
Whether or not you choose to implement our recommendations,
WE WILL PROMOTE YOUR BOOK EXCLUSIVELY IN A BRAND NEW SPOTLIGHT SERIES TO
BE LAUNCHED SHORTLY ON THE INDIETRIBE
If you would like us to provide you with a comprehensive report to help zoom you up the Amazon Sales Rankings, please submit the form below and we will invoice you for a one-off fee of £200 (approx $304 U.S.Dollars)
Name:
Email Address:
Please enter the title and author of the book you wish to be analysed
June 23, 2013
Top Fiction Books on Indietribe – as at 22nd June
The Top Fiction Books is based on the number of sales and click-throughs from INDIETRIBE to Amazon in the last week. Whilst every click through does not lead to a sale, it is certainly evidence of a high level of interest, so the 10 authors should be justly proud that their books are being noticed and look forward to them being best selling books. We monitor click-throughs and do not count multiple click-throughs from one computer.
I suppose the best way of aiming for the Top Fiction Books is to make sure readers keep tripping over your book in our Book Store, Showcase, Book Reviews, Guest Blogs, Author Interviews, News Flashes, One-liners and Blogroll. Give your book the best chance you can.
To buy these books now, either click on the FRONT COVER to buy from Amazon.com or the TITLE to buy from Amazon.co.uk
IF YOU DO DECIDE TO BUY BOOKS, PLEASE BUY THEM WHILST YOU’RE LINKED THROUGH TO AMAZON FROM INDIETRIBE. THIS WILL HELP US TO ACCURATELY COMPILE THIS WEEKLY LIST.
Anyway, with no further ado, please welcome this week’s Top 10:
1 SEBASTIAN by Christoph Fischer
Up from 2
2 THE PERSECUTION OF MILDRED DUNLAP by Paulette Mahurin
Up from 3
3 JAZZ BABY by Beem Weeks
Up from 7
4 LUCK OF THE WEISSENSTEINERS by Christoph Fischer
Stays at 4
5 OPEN HOUSE: ARISTOCRATS, SQUATTERS & GHOSTS SHARE A CASTLE by Charlie Bray
Down from 1
6 CONFESSIONS OF A CATHOLIC SCHOOL DROPOUT by Patti Lavell
Down from 5
7 RANI OF RAMPUR by Suneeta Misra
Down from 6
8 POEMS OF LIVING, LOVING & LORE by J C Edwards
Stays at 8
9 DEATH OF CARTHAGE by Robin E. Levin
Up from 10
10 WHITE JADE by Alex Lukeman
Re-entry
So congratulations to the books and authors in The Top Fiction Books This Week
Happy reading and writing until the next Top 10
To help your book reach the Top 10 or help it to stay there, you should consider showcasing your book.
If you have one book to promote for the first time, click here to showcase
If you have more than one book to promote for the first time, click here to showcase.
If you would like to repeat one of your previous showcase entries, click here
June 21, 2013
Guest Blog: It’s A Dog’s Life! Tips for Writers from Rebecca Forster
Today I am delighted to publish a guest blog from USA Today best selling author, Rebecca Forster, who has more than 25 books under her belt and imparts a top tip for writers. She reveals how our four legged friends can really move a plot along – and pick up a lot of admirers along the way. We’ve all got things to learn from Max-the-dog.
What a Dog
Max-the-dog
Today a lady wrote to tell me she loved my book Hostile Witness* because I hadn’t killed Max. I’ve been traveling a lot in the last three weeks and it took me a minute to figure out who Max was and why it was so important to her that he was alive. Max, of course, is Josie Bates’ dog; Josie is the heroine of the witness series. I was touched by the reader’s concern for the fictional canine, Max, and that made me wonder: Why is a book that includes animals richer, more entertaining, and more engaging than one without?
Rebecca Forster
The answer was simple: Animals bring out the best and the worst in a human character. This makes for great drama and provides an emotional touch point that is critical for an exciting read.
Max-the-Dog (his legal name) was originally created as a reflection of Josie, his mistress. Both had been abandoned, both had to fight for their lives, both were protective of others. But Max became so much more than Josie’s mirror as the series unfolded. Here are four ways Max made a difference in the witness series:
HE ENHANCED HUMAN CHARACTERIZATION: Those who attack him were inherently more evil than a bad guy who ignored him. Those who love Max were more admirable because they cared for and protect him.
HE WAS AN ANIMATED SOUNDING BOARD: Internal dialogue can be tedious. Allow a character to speculate to an animal and the rhetorical questions or monologues sound natural.
HIS PRESENCE SET A TONE: A scene tone can be set by the way a human character speaks to or interacts with an animal counterpart. A whispered warning creates a much different tone than a screaming command; a languid pet conjures up different visions than a playful ruffling of fur.
HE HELPED MOVE THE PLOT FORWARD: An animal’s needs can put a human in a place they might not have been in. For instance, in Privileged Witness, Josie took Max out for his evening constitutional and ran into her fugitive client who was hiding outside. Without Max, Josie would have no reason to go outside and never would have discovered her client. An animal’s heightened senses can also assist a human to warn of danger or alert a human to a change in their surroundings.
From The Hound of the Baskervilles to Lassie and Blue Dog, My Friend Flicka and The Black Stallion, The Cheshire Cat and Puss-in-Boots, animals have frolicked as humans, served to reflect human frailties and strengths, and just plain worked their way into reader’s hearts because of who they are.
So, to the kind lady who was concerned about Max, have no fear. He will never come to a violent end. No matter what happens to him, his presence or lack thereof, will be a decision motivated by story and plot and, of course, love, because Max is as real to me as if he sat at my feet while I wrote my stories.
*Hostile Witness is free for all e-readers and is also available in print. The picture is of my grand dog Tucker.
NEWSFLASH: Read a Book for a Good Cause
50% OF THIS BOOK’S SALES GOES TO CHARITY –
SUPPORT A GOOD CAUSE WHILST ENOYING A GOOD READ
Alexandra Fry is just your average seventh-grader. Or is she? Starting a new school, Alexandra hopes to leave her old life, and old reputation of “Loopy Lexi” behind. But it’s not so easy when Alexandra is the kind of girl who sees ghosts. And not just any ghosts, but history’s most famous. They come to her to solve mysteries, when things from their past life fall into the wrong hands.
Desperate to be normal and make some friends, Alexandra is devastated to be visited by none other than Queen Elizabeth the First during a lesson in school. But Queen Elizabeth doesn’t just have your average, run of the mill problem. The thing that was stolen was a locket– a cursed locket, and if it’s not returned to the museum, the entire world will be in danger. It’s up to Alexandra and her new friends Penelope and Jack, to find out who took the locket and why. Ducking security guards, breaking and entering, and finding out someone isn’t who they said they were is just your average day for this seventh grade girl.
Fifty percent of the proceeds for Alexandra Fry, Private Eye series will be donated to the Tucson Alliance for Autism. The Tucson Alliance for Autism is a wonderful organization helping parents and kids with all levels and types of autism. They provide services, counseling and peer support. My twelve-year-old son is Autistic, and when he was younger, I wasn’t sure what to do. But the Tucson Alliance for Autism provided me with so much material and support that my son is now a flourishing sixth-grader with friends, activities, and he’s even joined the band at his new middle school– something I thought he would never do. I’m thrilled and excited to help give-back to my community and this wonderful organization that has helped so many people here in Arizona.
Thank you in advance for your purchases and support of this amazing cause, and for any information please visit their website at www.tucsonallianceforautism.org
http://angellagraffbooks.wordpress.com/series-alexandra-fry-private-eye/
There’s a give-away going on right now at my Facebook Page here- which ends on Saturday. https://www.facebook.com/AngellaGraffAuthor/app_228910107186452
People can win a fairly large gift basket of items like books, paintings, and crafts.
The book will be on a free promo 26 & 27 June, and if people want to download the free book but make a one dollar donation to the Autism Alliance, they can do the donation here at the link below
June 20, 2013
Increase Your eBook Sales with a Showcase or Book Review
There is no doubt that the best selling books in the latest book charts have been heavily promoted. They’ve not just sat quietly in their categories waiting to be chosen. They’ve been thrust in front of potential readers time and time again. To get your book acknowledged as a top fiction book you’ve got to do the same.
Indietribe’s Weekly Top 10 eBooks for Kindle proves my point. It can’t just be coincidence that the books that appear regularly in that chart are promoted heavily, both within the Indietribe’s pages and beyond.
Without a conventional publisher behind them, self published authors have to work even harder at book marketing.
That is why The Indietribe was set up – to help Indie Authors wave the flag for their Indie Books.
SO WHAT ARE WE CURRENTLY OFFERING?
Promoting your books on our site is so easy. We offer just four straightforward packages that do exactly as they say on the tin. One is designed for self-published authors with just one book. The second is designed for self-published authors with more than one book. The third is designed for writers that want to repeat a previously published Showcase.
A one-off fee of £15 ($23 U.S.Dollars) will ensure that your book is showcased in our regular Indie Book Showcase series and featured by genre in our two Indie Book Stores, one linked directly to Amazon.com and one linked to Amazon.co.uk It will also ensure that your Blog/Website is listed as an enhanced entry in our Blogroll, together with description and screen shot image
A one-off fee of £45 ($70 U.S.Dollars) will ensure that all your books, past, present or future, are showcased in our regular Indie Book Showcase series and featured by genre in our two Indie Book Stores, one linked directly to Amazon.com and one linked to Amazon.co.uk. The offer includes all future books. Simply send in the information as they are published and we will include them. We will also ensure that your Blog/Website is listed as an enhanced entry in our Blogroll, together with description and screen shot image.
A one-off £10 ($15 U.S.Dollars) fee will ensure that your previous book showcase will be repeated in our regular Indie Book Showcase series
This will ensure that your book stays in the mind of readers, and could well push its way into the Indietribe Top 10 and start the cycle all over again.
You can repeat your Showcase entry as often as you like.
Subscribe to INDIETRIBE GOLD for £45 per year (approx $68 US Dollars ) and you will receive all the following marketing benefits.
ONE OF YOUR BOOKS INDEPENDENTLY REVIEWED BY CHARLIE BRAY
A GUEST BLOG USING ONE OF YOUR POSTS TO SPREAD THE WORD TO THE INDIETRIBE FOLOWERS
AN AUTHOR INTERVIEW BY CHARLIE BRAY
YOUR BLOG/WEBSITE FEATURED IN OUR WEB WATCH SERIES
I look forward to welcoming you to our ONE BOOK PROMOTION MULTI-BOOK PROMOTION
REPEAT BOOK PROMOTION or INDIETRIBE GOLD soon
June 18, 2013
Showcase 23: More Top eBooks for Your Kindle
Welcome to more eBooks showcased for your pleasure. Nine top fiction and non fiction books, all self published, vie for your attention, hopefully all on the way to becoming best selling books.
Why not showcase your book and let our members find another gem to read?
If you have one book to promote for the first time, click here to showcase
If you have more than one book to promote for the first time, click here to showcase.
If you would like to repeat one of your previous showcase entries, click here
Buying books from Showcase is really easy. Click on the image to buy from Amazon.com, or the link in each book’s description to buy from Amazon.co.uk
IF YOU DO DECIDE TO BUY BOOKS, PLEASE BUY THEM WHILST YOU’RE LINKED THROUGH TO AMAZON FROM INDIETRIBE. This helps us to compile an accurate Top 10 Indie Books each week.
So here we go with our 23rd Showcase:
WHISPER IN THE PINES ‘SECRETS OF THE HEART’ by Howard Gleichenhaus
Mary Elizabeth Laverneaux is beautiful, devious, …and deadly. She returns to her home in Moultrie, Georgia in the summer of 1938 with a mission…to get her little girl before Jebediah Collins finds her.
A year before, she had left her husband, Reggie, and daughter, Carlee, to follow the con man, living a life on-the-run with Collins and his ruthless partner, Ben. Taking off with $20,000 of Collins’s cash, Mary Elizabeth hopes to leave behind her errant ways and start a new life with her daughter—but Collins is hot on her trail.
At Whispering Pines, the Laverneaux family’s ancestral home and one-time plantation, Reggie Laverneaux finds love again in the form of his childhood friend, Emily Winters. When Reggie is approached with a proposal to reopen the family mill by an investor from New York, things begin to look up for Reggie and his new family. But when Mary Elizabeth’s return is tied to a hotel clerk’s murder, Reggie must fight his demons—old and new—to protect the ones he loves.
Collins will stop at nothing to get revenge on the woman who betrayed him; and as the bodies begin to pile up, Detectives Bill Mason and Cal Druggins are forced to act quickly to put an end to the terror ransacking the small, southern town. When Collins kidnaps Carlee, Mary Elizabeth fears the worse; she knows what the con man is capable of first-hand.
Will they find Carlee before Collins goes too far?
Also available from Amazon.co.uk
CRY BEFORE SUPPER by Julia Rose Grey
It is the early 1960’s. The Campbell family moves from their Philadelphia row home to a larger house in a suburb where they believe they will have a better life. For a while, they do. The parents, devoted grandmother and five children start each day with a song. Bonded by their happiness, they protect the one child who suffers from an undiagnosed neurological condition from abuse and negativity. The family’s joy is their strength.
Unfortunately, it is also the source of their demise.
The Campbells’ cheerfulness entices a jealous neighbor — someone whom they help in his time of need — to inflict irrevocable harm upon them. Each of the family members is struck hard by this strategy none of them can fathom. The family’s future is shattered. In an instant, the happiness and closeness are gone forever.
After a successful career, Julia Rose Grey is finally at a point where she can write full-time and relish her days creating a world of her own. Her characters, the towns, and the events become real to her
Also available from Amazon.co.uk
WAR’S LAST DANCE by Julia Underwood
It is 1946. Berlin. The war is over but there are still battles to be won before the players can pack up and go home.
This novel is inspired by true events.
Bill and Isabel have been separated by war for five years and are re-united in devastated Berlin. They struggle to recapture their pre-war happiness.
The city is awash with misery, disease and corruption. As an Army Intelligence officer Bill is one of those trying to bring order out of the chaos. Americans, Russians, French and many thousands of displaced people from all over Europe throng the city.
Threats surround Isabel and her greatest challenge comes when her four year old daughter is kidnapped and disappears without a trace. Who has done this? And why? Will Isabel be able to bring her family back together before it is too late?
Isabel’s loyalty and courage are stretched to the limit in her search for her child and the ultimate realisation, once the mystery is resolved, that she has to make a new life for herself and her daughter.
Also available from Amazon.co.uk
BLACK HARVEST by Alex Lukeman
Book Four in the PROJECT Series
A world expert on crop viruses is brutally murdered, along with two of his colleagues. The murders get the attention of Elizabeth Harker, Director of a covert Presidential intelligence unit called the Project.Project team leader Nick Carter suffers with PTSD. He struggles with conflicting thoughts about his lover and teammate, Selena Connor. Selena’s been with the Project for less than a year. She’s having a hard time dealing with her feelings for Nick and the mayhem that goes with her job.Nick and Selena follow a bloody trail through Greece, Bulgaria and America as they uncover a deadly plan that will kill millions if it succeeds. Director Harker must forge a dangerous alliance to avoid certain war with Russia. And all the while, a high-placed American traitor does his best to sabotage the Project at every turn…while time is running out.
Also available from Amazon.co.uk
HOW TO WRITE YOUR FIRST BOOK – My Personal Step by Step Guide by Kim Defforge
A personal step-by-step guide for how to develop your manuscript, focus on formatting, enhance editing, and pursue publishing, & more.
Follow the author’s footsteps, to help you achieve your writing success.
Kim Defforge is a lifelong Francophile and former French teacher, with a passion for all things French. Having moved from the U.S. to the French Riviera, she now enjoys writing about French culture, food, wine, events, and the simple beauty of a Mediterranean sunset – proving that dreams really can come true!
Also available from Amazon.co.uk
JUPITER RETURNS by Peggy Holloway
Jupiter, the character who was put into the state mental hospital for the insane, has escaped and is out for revenge against Judith McCain, psychologist for the FBI and Tracy Carr, head of the FBI in Houston.
But is revenge the only thing Jupiter wants?
Also available from Amazon.co.uk
HOSTILE WITNESS by Rebecca Forster
When sixteen-year-old Hannah Sheraton is arrested for the murder of her stepgrandfather, the chief justice of the California Supreme court, her distraught mother turns to her old college roommate, Josie Baylor-Bates, for help. Josie, once a hot-shot criminal defense attorney, left the fast track behind for a small practice in Hermosa Beach, California. But Hannah Sheraton intrigues her and, when the girl is charged as an adult, Josie cannot turn her back. But the deeper she digs the more Josie realizes that politics, the law and family relationships create a combustible and dangerous situation. When the horrible truth is uncovered it can save Hannah Sheraton or destroy them both.
“This story was inspired by a case my husband handled. As a superior court judge he had to sentence a minor to life in prison. It made me wonder how I felt about minors arrested for violent crimes. Are they most vulnerable among us – capable or horrible violence, perceived as adults and yet emotionally still children?” Rebecca Forster
She marketed a world-class spa when it was still called a gym, did business in China before there were western toilettes at the Great Wall and mucked around with the sheep to find out exactly how her client’s fine wool clothing was manufactured. Then Rebecca wrote her first book and found her passion.
Now, over twenty-five books later, she is a USA Today and Amazon best selling author and writes full time, penning thrillers that explore the emotional impact of the justice system.
Also available from Amazon.co.uk
THE SHERIFF AND THE PANHANDLE MURDERS by D.R.Meredith
Crawford County, Texas, hadn’t had a deliberate homicide in 80 years, and Sheriff Charles Matthews liked that statistic just fine, particularly since his department wasn’t generously endowed with manpower. He had one deputy who took pride in how far he could spit tobacco and another one who couldn’t tell his backside from his elbow. Neither of these deputies bothered Crawford County because folks understood them. They didn’t altogether understand Charles Matthews. It wasn’t his law degree- lots of folks had law degrees and were still respectable-and it wasn’t the fact he was from Dallas. It wasn’t even because he never told anybody why he left Dallas. It was because Charles had no nickname in an area where nicknames were as common as sagebrush. Still, Crawford County took Charles at face value as a good man until he proved otherwise. When Billy Joe Williams was murdered on a lonely county road, Charles knew that someone else counted on being taken at face value.A fan of mysteries since a childhood obsession with Agatha Christie and Rex Stout, D. R. Meredith has written three mystery series set in the Texas Panhandle, a little-known area of the state even to other Texans. Two titles, MURDER BY IMPULSE and MURDER BY DECEPTION, in the John Lloyd Branson series were finalists for the Anthony Award. An equal obsession with the American West inspired her to create two historical sagas, A TIME TOO LATE and THE RECKONING, which she describes as “two hanky books for readers who want their hearts tugged while satisfying their curiosity about the Old West.” The book review editor for ROUNDUP MAGAZINE for more than twenty years, Meredith owns a private library of more than 5,000 books on the American West.
Also available from Amazon.co.uk
I hope you enjoyed reading the book reviews of these self published books. Maybe you’d like to treat yourself and help them on their way to becoming best selling books.
I look forward to presenting another showcase of top fiction books in the near future,
Happy Reading,
Charlie Bray, The Indietribe
