James M. Jackson's Blog, page 9

Judy Penz Sheluk - Guest Author

Judy Penz Sheluk (who I first met as a member of the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime) is the author of two mystery novels: The Hanged Man’s Noose: A Glass Dolphin Mystery (July 2015) and Skeletons in the Attic: A Marketville Mystery (August 2016).
What is the background noise when you write and why is it there?
I usually have talk radio on while I’m writing. I switch between Newstalk 1010 Toronto or Talk 640 Toronto, depending on the host and topic. I find it easier to zone in and out of talk...

PM Drummond - Guest Author

PM Drummond is the author of the reader-nominated Kindle Scout winner, Perdition-Virago Series Book 1. (And I met her through the “secret” Kindle Scout Winners group.) She has an MFA in Writing and writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels.
What is the background noise when you write and why is it there?
No background noise. I live in a forest because it’s so quiet (except for my Chihuahua, Smidgen, barking at squirrels, cats, raccoons, and bears). I like to write with no distractions....

Lincoln Cole - Guest Author

Please welcome fellow Kindle Scout winner Lincoln Cole. He is the award-winning author of multiple books in different genres. His most recent book is Raven’s Peak, a horror/paranormal thriller that was selected by Kindle Press for publication.
What is the background noise when you write and why is it there?
My preferred background noise is music, and it fluctuates depending on the kind of writing I’m doing. When I’m writing action scenes I like something fast-paced and full of energy, and when...

Jim Nelson - Guest Author

Jim Nelson’s latest novel Bridge Daughter was published in June by Kindle Press. (He joins me as a Kindle Scout winner.) His other books include Edward Teller Dreams of Barbecuing Peopleand A Concordance of One’s Life. He lives in San Francisco.
How did you develop your idea for your most recent work?
I can’t fully explain where the idea for Bridge Daughter came from. One morning while preparing to write a chapter for another book I’m (still) working on, a strange thought struck me: What if we...

Monte Dutton - Guest Author

Monte Dutton (a fellow Kindle Scout winner) is a former sportswriter from South Carolina who still describes a few ballgames on the side. His fourth novel, Forgive Us Our Trespasses, was published in the spring.
You have an all-expense-paid long weekend to spend with three guests. The Starship Enterprise has agreed to beam you to the place of your choosing, so travel time is not a consideration. Who are your guests (and why) and where are you staying (and why)?
I want to go to the Calgary Stamp...

Jessica Knauss - Guest Author

Jessica Knauss writes historical fiction and contemporary magical realism, or realism with a quirky twist. Her paranormal novel, Awash in Talent , was selected for publication through the Kindle Scout program (which is, no surprise, where I met Jessica).
What do you do that you suspect causes your copyeditor to pull her/his hair out?
I’m a copyeditor, slave to the Chicago Manual of Style, when I’m not writing, so of course my books are perfect. But actually, the copyeditor for Awash in Talent mi...

Katherine Hayton - Guest Author

Please welcome fellow Kindle Scout winner Kathrine Hayton who says: I’m a middle-aged woman who writes instead of having children or pets. I like to murder people but so far I’ve restricted this urge to the page.
What is the background noise when you write and why is it there?
The main background noise is tinnitus. It’s in my right ear, or the part of my brain that thinks it’s coming from my right ear. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. It’s two notes that are discordant with one another. One of them modelle...

Heather Weidner - Guest Author

Heather Weidner’s debut novel, Secret Lives and Private Eyes launches in June. Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series. She is a fellow member of the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime, Lethal Ladies Write, and is President of SinC – Central Virginia.
What is the background noise when you write and why is it there?
I work full-time as an IT Quality Assurance Manager, so that means I write whenever I get free time. I usually write at lunch, so there’s a lot of chatter and...

Bonnie J. Cardone - Guest Author

Fellow Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime member, Bonnie J. Cardone is the author of mystery novels and short mystery stories as well as a freelance photojournalist specializing in scuba diving and marine life.
You have an all-expense-paid long weekend to spend with three guests. The Starship Enterprise has agreed to beam you to the place of your choosing, so travel time is not a consideration. Who are your guests (and why) and where are you staying (and why)?
I’d be in Tahiti with James W. Hall...

A Hybrid Author’s First Ad Buy

As I write this blog, my foray into hybrid author advertising has 19 hours remaining.* When I took back the publishing rights to Bad Policy I decided to (for now) exclusively sell the ebook on Amazon. That allows me to (1) participate in the Kindle Unlimited under which I am paid when people read the book through Amazon’s subscription service, and (2) retain a 70% royalty rate (rather than only 35%) when I run a sale and price the book at $0.99.
Bad Policy is normally priced at $3.99. I droppe...