R.J. Crayton's Blog, page 8

Prophecy of Light – Book 1 is Coming

Just a quick note to let you all know that first book in my newest series is coming out in just over two weeks. Here’s the blurb for the book, which is the first part of a four-book series.

“Be careful what you say. Words have power.”

— Auntie

Kady can’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t hiding. From someone or something, but she’s never been sure the cause of the secrecy. Auntie, her only companion and the only person she trusts, says that words have power, and she can’t tell Kady what they are hiding from. Only that the two of them must stick together and stay under the radar.

When Kady awakens in the middle of the night with her house crumbling around her, Auntie hustles her into the night and tries to protect her — through words, magic words.

While Auntie succeeds in hiding Kady, she falls victim to the mage who has been searching for them the past 10 years. Kady knows that she must find her aunt and save her. But will she be able to tap the power trapped within her to do it?

While I’ve been hesitant about doing pre-orders in the past, a couple of authors I know have said they’ve had better pre-order experiences and suggested a couple of things, so I’m going to give it one more shot. The pre-order page is https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZBQWM8. The book is just 99 cents, as it’s more novella sized. The second book in the series, Prophecy of Light – Unleashed, should be out the following week, Oct. 24, and then there will be a three-to-four week gap between story publication dates.

Feel free to add the book to your Goodreads T0-Be-Read list. The Goodreads page is here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32316434-prophecy-of-light—trapped.

Banned Books – A Sign of Social Change?

It’s banned books week, a time when we’re supposed to get excited about books that are controversial to the point that some schools and communities ban them from their libraries.

The American Library Association, which sponsors the week annually, has devoted this year’s event to diverse books. The ALA notes that many of the banned books are written by minorities in society. They are banned because they bring to the forefront issues communities do not wish to discuss, issues that could bring change to communities that don’t want it.

The banning of books is always done out of fear. Usually fear that the ideas in the books will change things. That they will make things not the way they are, and those who ban them desperately seek to keep things the way they are.

But that is the opposite goal of knowledge. And that’s what books are –a  gateway to information. They are meant to expand our minds and challenge our notions. They can bring us closer to people we have never met before, people whom we would never in our lifetimes ever personally experience if it weren’t for a book.

So, I hope you’ll grab a book that’s banned this week. Take a look at the world from a different perspective, and enjoy the knowledge you gained from it. Here are some links to some books from diverse authors.

Top Ten Banned Books that Changed the Face of Black History
Eight Banned Books by Latino Authors
Eleven Asian Pacific American Authors You Should Read

 

 

Concealed is 99 Cents

Just a quick note to mention that Concealed, the first book in my Virus series, is on sale today and tomorrow for 99 cents.

If you haven’t grabbed it yet, now is a great time to do it while it’s on

sale.

Also, if you’re interested in an advanced review copy (ARC) of part one of my new series, Prophecy of Light, do sign up for my mailing list. Mailing list subscribers are eligible to receive ARCs of new books. You can sign up for the list here or by clicking the subscribe button below.

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Life First featured on Instafreebie

Life First is featured on InstaFreebie today. If you’ve never heard of InstaFreebie, it’s a place where you can get free books, generally in exchange for signing up for the author’s mailing list.

InstaFreebie has all sorts of books in varying genres. Check out the site if you’re looking to try new authors with no cost. It’s a great way to discover new, exciting books.

Life First Boxed Set

For a while now, I’ve been considering doing a boxed set for my Life First series. I’ve heard that some people like to have their ebooks all in one place.  Some people also prefer to just go whole hog and grab  the entire set.

So, I’ve created an ebook boxed set, and it’s available for sale on Amazon right now. I’ll be pushing it out to the other vendors as the week goes on. I have to decide if I want to try to get it to Apple (sorry ibooks users). Apple has some different formatting requirements for boxed sets, and it’s not clear it’s worth it to invest my time in doing a boxed set there.  I’ll add a post later in the week, once the boxed set is up everywhere else (with links to the various vendors).

Please note, the boxed set is ebook only. I don’t know of a way to get a boxed set for print (I do apologize for those who want it).  The boxed set saves buyers a little money if they intend to read the whole series.

If you’ve read all the books in the series, I’d love it if you left a review on  the Amazon boxed set page.

I hope everyone is having a great labor day.

It’s time for a 99 cent sale

Happy Tuesday to you!

This week, I’m having a 99 cent sale on two of my books.

Concealed, the first book in the Virus series, is on sale for 99 cents all this week. I’ve got a couple of ads running throughout the week for that book. If you haven’t started the series, now is a great time to do it. The entire series is out, so once you start, you can get the entire narrative without wait.

I also decided to discount my paranormal book, Scented, to 99 cents as well. It will also be on sale all this week.  So, if you haven’t checked out Scented, now is  a great time to pick that one up, too.

Have a great week!

Contained is Here!

Just wanted to let everyone know I published the final book in the Virus series, Contained.

The ebook is available as an Amazon exclusive, so you can read it free in Kindle Unlimited or buy it for $2.99. I’m a bit swamped, as I just got back from vacation (on 8/11), so the paperback isn’t done. It should be up in the next few weeks, though.  Here’s the book’s blurb.

* * *

No place is Safe.

Elaan, Lijah and Josh have been searching for safety ever since they left the Scientist Protection Unit.

As they’re forced to leave their latest home, they find old friends in new places. Just as they think things are finally coming under control, the ground shifts beneath them.

In this exciting final book, our leads search for the solutions that have evaded them thus far, in hopes of reaching a happy ending for themselves and the world in peril.

 

Big Book Giveaway – Last Day

Today is the very last day to enter the Big Book Giveaway, where you can win a package of 10 books from various authors. Two prizes will be given. You an enter in the box at the end of this post.

I thought I’d feature two more of the books that could come in the prize package. (There are 20 books that will be divided randomly and sent to two winners.)  As always, even if you don’t win the prize, consider grabbing the book anyway, if it like the description.

Song of the Fairy Queen

By Valerie Douglas

4.1 stars, 102 reviews

It’s said of Fairy that if you’re in dire need and you call their name they’ll come. With his castle under siege and his young son in his arms, High King Oryan couldn’t be in more dire need. With only his High Marshal, Morgan, and a handful of Morgan’s men at his back, he has only one direction left to run…up. And only one ally to whom he can turn.

Kyriay, the Queen of the Fairy.

Song of the Fairy Queen is not your parent’s fairy tale. (This book is FREE for Kindle Unlimited Subscribers.)

Crosscurrents

By DB Sieders

4.9 stars, 7 reviews

No one believes Ilsa is worthy of ruling the Rhine River Kingdom, including Ilsa.

Sure, she wields plenty of mermaid magic and has a winning personality, but responsibility? Not her thing.

So instead of embracing her role as river royalty, Ilsa opts to extend her holiday in the New World. Frolicking with mortals is her M.O.—until she answers a distress call from an endangered species in the waters near Chattanooga. After her close encounter with a motorboat threatens to expose the world of elemental guardians, Ilsa partners with biologist and unlikely ally, Paul Pulaski, to cover her tail.

Worlds collide and sparks ignite between Princess Ilsa and her diamond-in-the-rough mortal, Paul. But can they survive monster hunters, a rival scientist with a grudge, and a dark force that could destroy mortal and elemental alike?

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Self-Publishing Sunday: Reviews

When you publish books, reviews happen (hopefully, but that’s a topic for another day).

When reviews come in, they can be positive, negative, or somewhere in the middle. So, how should an author handle reviews when they come in?   Generally, they shouldn’t do anything but read the review.  Most people suggest not commenting on reviews. However, I will add that it’s never inappropriate to thank a person for reading your book and taking the time to leave a review (whether positive or negative). But commenting on reviews beyond that can often spiral into the negative, and leave people with a bad impression of the author.

Even thought I don’t recommend commenting on reviews when they come in, there are some things you should be doing. So, here’s a quick list of some ways to react.

Positive/Great Review.

There is no greater high than when you read a review where the person absolutely loved your book. You feel on top of the world because it means you totally accomplished what you wanted to accomplish. The person got the book; they got your vision and they not only enjoyed it, but they loved it. You feel completely awesome.

Savor it. When you get a positive review, savor it. Read it again and again and again. Enjoy your praise. You worked hard on that book and deserve it.
Save it. Save a copy of it for later, for those days when you’re tired and you don’t feel like writing. Look at it then so it can remind you that there are people who love what you’re doing, and people who want more. Let it remind you not to quit when you’re not feeling it. Let it remind you to give it one more shot because maybe that person will love this book as much as they loved the one

they reviewed.
Spread it. Another reason to save it is to use it as a Review Quote. Many people use review quotes in the product description to lure potential readers. Some authors I know like to post new, positive reviews on social media. It’s a chance to show the reviewer they appreciated the review and to show the world an independent opinion about your book.

Average/So-So Reviews

Look for the positive. If someone gave you a three-star review (out of 5), and they say positive things about your book, then good. Some people aren’t overly effusive, and they can like a book very much and still only give it three stars. That’s just how they roll. So, if the review has some positive things, dwell on those.
Analyze the negative. If they’ve got some things in there that they’ve dinged you for, ask yourself if they’re right. Life First received a couple of reviews that liked the book but felt it wasn’t a tight genre fit (which it is not).  If you can read that and figure out a way to change your blurb to indicate that, perhaps that’s a way to go to avoid confusion. For example, some people will ding a book if they didn’t know it’s a serial novel that requires the reader to continue onto a second book. Again, adding information to your blurb, can sometimes alleviate some of the issues of lower reviews due to mismatched expectations.
Move on. Average reviews mean the people liked the book, but weren’t that into it. It happens. Not every book is for everyone.  Once you’ve gleaned the constructive information you can take from it, move on. You can integrate that information in the next book.

Negative Reviews

Remember you are not your work. If positive reviews make us feel awesome, should negative reviews drive us to drink? No. With negative reviews, we have to remember that we are not our work. The person is talking about the words on the page, not the author as a human being. It feels hard to separate from ourselves because we’ve worked so hard on it. But, we are not our books. The person who’s given a negative review is negative toward the book and something that didn’t resonate with them.
Analyze it. Is the person right? If their main complaint is a book full of typos, then go look at the book and see if they’re right. If it is, in fact, full of typos, accept that you messed up and try to get it fixed. If the person is upset because you used cuss words and they don’t believe any good God-fearing person would ever cuss, and you’re not of that belief, then disregard it. If they thought your heroine was whiny and namby pamby, figure out what you think about it. Was your heroine that way, or did they just totally not get her? If it was the latter, then ignore it. If there’s a hint of truth in the former, figure out ways you might want to address those concerns when writing future heroines. In general, I wouldn’t recommend changing a book based on one review. If you get several that point out a major missed issue, it’s up to you to decide whether to make changes.
Move On. Just like with so-so reviews, you’ve got to move on. Once you’ve gotten all the constructive takeaways, then let it go. There are people out there who don’t like your work. It happens. And they’re not your audience. Forget about them and go back to what you do best, writing.
Do not engage. Getting in a battle with a reviewer over their negative review is a bad thing. Don’t do it. The author never wins in these situations. People are entitled to their opinions about your book. You just have to get over it.  You can read about one author-reviewer exchange that went horribly wrong here: How not to handle a bad review.

Big Book Giveaway – Featured Books

At the beginning of the month, I mentioned I was part of the Big Book Giveaway. As a featured author, we’ve been asked to feature one or two of the books being offered in the giveaway. Today, I thought I’d feature two books I thought you might enjoy.  If you don’t win the giveaway, please consider grabbing this book anyway.

Silent Slaughter

By C.E. Lawrence

4.5 stars, 26 reviews

THERE IS A METHOD TO HIS MADNESS

He chooses his tools with precision. Stalks his victims with cold efficiency. Plans his attack using mathematical logic. And now he is ready to play…

THERE ARE RULES TO HIS GAME

When the killer’s first letter arrives at the station, NYPD profiler Lee Campbell suspects the writer is daring him to match wits with a dangerous—and brilliant—criminal mind. But once this “Alleyway Strangler” starts leaving specially targeted messages with each surgically carved corpse, Campbell realizes it’s not just personal. It’s perfectly calculated—to destroy him…

The Princess, the Pea and the Night of Passion

By Rosetta Bloom

4.1 Stars, 19 reviews

Getting to happily ever after has never been so sexy or so much fun. Passions run high in this retelling of the classic fairy tale The Princess & the Pea.

In this grown-up version of the famous fairy tale, Arabian princess Adara is running from her old life and a forced betrothal. Adara, an exotic beauty, wants love and passion, but knows she can’t get that back home. When a raging storm halts her escape, Adara seeks refuge in the first dwelling she sees.

Prince Richard is tired of the trite, vain, frigid princesses his mother introduces him to in hopes he’ll marry. On this stormy night, the blue-eyed prince is in the mood to love a woman, but he’s all alone.

Adara arrives on the castle doorstep, saying she’s a princess in need of help. The queen is doubtful and decides to lock Adara in a room with a pea to determine if the girl is as royal as she claims. Richard believes the beautiful, charming stranger, but he wants her locked in a bedroom for other reasons.

When Richard and Adara hook up, there’s more than a pea-sized bit of passion involved….

(This is an adult fairy tale; steamy romance included.)

The ebook is FREE.

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You can enter the giveaway through the end of the month.

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