S.K. Nicholls's Blog, page 7
December 1, 2016
Smorgasbord Christmas Party -Guest Susan M. Toy with Best Books Read 2016
A host of fine books and authors.
Smorgasbord - Variety is the spice of life
I am delighted to welcome another guest to the Christmas Party.. Susan M. Toy has been in the publishing business for a very long time and devotes her time to promoting authors of all genres on her blog and on social media. Susan’s Reading Recommendation posts and archive are a treasure trove of great writing, which is why I am even more honoured to have one of my books in such good company.
Susan is looking back at what has been a bumper year for Indie authors with the first part of her review. She will be looking at mainstream authors in part two on her own blog… so keep an eye open. I will now hand you over to Susan M. Toy.
Best Books Read in 2016 – Part 1 by Susan M. Toy
For the past couple of years I posted lists to my blog of The…
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November 20, 2016
Florida Native Rhythms Festival
Last weekend, we took a little trip down to Melbourne, Florida for the Eighth Annual Native Rhythms Festival sponsored by the Indian River Flute Circle and Native Heritage Gathering, Inc. It was set in Wickham Park, a lovely little wooded park in the midst of an enchanted forest, or so it seemed with the trills of the flutists wafting along on the breezes.
There was something phenomenal about hearing Native Americans playing their tunes that most learned from their forefathers, legendary music passed down through generations, while wandering between the ancient live oaks that flanked the tall pine forest. It set me back in time.
While we were there we browsed the vendors and came across a very kind lady who hand makes drums with different animal skins stretched across the raw hide frames…buffalo hide, deer, and elk. Each drum has its own pitch and tone, depending upon the thickness of the animal skin. Drum circles are popular events around here, especially on the beaches. I wanted one, but I also wanted a new Keurig, and coffee won that battle.
Artists and craftsmen/women had their works displayed throughout the park and the vendors were very friendly, taking the time to teach people about their crafts. I tried to learn how to play a flute. I need a lot of work, but it was fun trying. No trading with beads and shells here, but they take VISA and MasterCard.
But, by far, the coolest exhibit was a real teepee.
The teepee was fashioned from dyed and painted animal hides braced on poles. We hesitated to go inside the tiny doorway, but the gentleman standing by the door told us it was not something we wanted to miss, so we went inside.
He was right. It was stunning, and much larger inside than it appeared from the outside. There were two cots, one on either side, and a large living space with adorned with trophy furs and blankets.
The costumes were beautiful and colorful with leather, seed beads and bone. Don’t see too many feathered headdresses with the Florida native attire.
There is a short clip of some of the sort of flute and drum music we heard playing. The weather was perfect and it was a nice day out. 
BTW, the park is an Omanyte nest right now for all you Pokemon Go players. That’s a very rare and ancient fossilized snail.
Filed under: Fascinating Florida, Settings and Feature Articles on Naked Malice, Uncategorized Tagged: ancient music, drum circles, drums, festivals, flutes, Naked Eye Series, Naked Odds, Native Americans, S. K. Nicholls, teepees
November 15, 2016
S.K. Nicholls – update on a new novel
Author supporter author, and awesome lady, Susan Toy, featured our Book “Naked Alliances” over the Reading Recommendations today. Thank you, Susan
Happy Birthday, S.K. Nicholls!
S.K. Nicholls has been previously promoted on Reading Recommendations. She’s back now to tell us about a book recently published, the first in a new detective series.
Naked Alliances: A Richard Noggin Novel (The Naked Eye Series Volume 1)
by S.K. Nicholls
Publisher: Brave Blue Heron Books
Genre: Crime fiction
When a young immigrant woman and an exotic dancer are forced to flee men with guns and have no place to hide, Richard Noggin, P.I., can’t turn his back—even if helping out makes him a target. Richard plans to impress an aspiring politician by taking on a big white-collar case that could take him from the streets to an air-conditioned office. Instead,he’s handed a cold case and quickly finds himself sucked into a shadowy world of sex, secrets and…murder. Marked for a bullet and stretched thin by his investigations, Richard reluctantly teams up with the…
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November 8, 2016
Book Two in the Naked Eye Series: Vegas, Florida Cowboys and Indians
Most of my writing these past few weeks has been marketing related. I’m jonesing to get back to creative fiction writing. I’ve been toying with the title of the next book. I was going to call it Naked Malice. But Naked Odds seems to suit the characters and gambling component that is expanded on.
We’ll be at SleuthFest in February, and then Vegas in April. There are a couple of scenes that take place in Vegas and I have never been. I’d like to get a feel for both the layout of the Strip and the people. (Being able to take in the Beatles Love Cirque du Soleil show is an added bonus.)
The Seminole Indians, (Native Americans to be more politically correct), here in Florida have a colorful recent history that is also finding its way into Book Two. Another fascinating tid-bit that I’m working in has to do with the “real” American cowboys. There were even Seminole Cowboys.
Let’s start with the horse. Horses were not native to North America. Or were they?
Should the wild horses that roam North America be considered native wildlife? They may have been “introduced” by man, but scientific evidence suggests that they are genetically the same as the horses that became extinct on the continent between 11,000 and 13,000 years. In fact, the genus Equus could have been wiped out entirely had it not crossed the Bering Strait land bridge into Eurasia.
Had it not been for previous westward migration, over the land bridge, into northwestern Russia (Siberia) and Asia, the horse would have faced complete extinction. However, Equus survived and spread to all continents of the globe, except Australia and Antarctica.
Native status for wild horses would place these animals, under law, within a new category for management considerations. As a form of wildlife, embedded with wildness, ancient behavioral patterns, and the morphology and biology of a sensitive prey species, they may finally be released from the “livestock-gone-loose” appellation.
Those of us who have been here a while equate wild horses with cowboys and Indians. Anyone who grew up in the sixties (with, at most, three TV channels) has seen the Wild, Wild West movies and TV shows, which showcased and romanticized the life of both cowboys and Native Americans. So, where did the cowboy originate? Out west? Most would think so.
In 1493, on Columbus’s second voyage to the Americas, Spanish horses, representing E. caballus, were brought back to North America, first in the Virgin Islands, and, in 1519, they were reintroduced on the continent, in modern-day Mexico, from where they radiated throughout the American Great Plains, after escape from their owners.
Wild Horse Herd stampeding
The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of special significance and legend.
However, out west in the 1880s, one loosely organized band was dubbed “The Cowboys,” and profited from smuggling cattle, alcohol, and tobacco across the U.S./Mexico border. It became an insult in the area to call someone a “cowboy,” as it suggested he was a horse thief, robber, or outlaw. Cattlemen were generally called herders or ranchers. They were gentlemen and rarely carried weapons (unlike the the cowboys of the wild west shows).
There is regional history of Cowboys; the Texas Cowboy, the California Cowboy, and others. They developed climate suitable regional attire. Florida has its own history of “Cowboys” and they are a proud bunch.
The Florida “cowhunter” or “cracker cowboy” of the 19th and early 20th centuries was distinct from the Texas and California traditions. Florida cowboys did not use lassos to herd or capture cattle. Their primary tools were bullwhips and dogs. Since the Florida cowhunter did not need a saddle horn for anchoring a lariat, many did not use Western saddles, instead using a McClellan saddle. While some individuals wore boots that reached above the knees for protection from snakes, others wore brogans. They usually wore inexpensive wool or straw hats, and used ponchos for protection from rain.
Cattle and horses were introduced into Florida in the 16th century . In the 18th century, Creek, Seminole, and other Indian people moved into the depopulated areas of Florida and started herding the cattle left from the Spanish ranches. In the 19th century, most tribes in the area were dispossessed of their land and cattle and pushed south or west by white settlers and the United States government. By the middle of the 19th century white ranchers were running large herds of cattle on the extensive open range of central and southern Florida.
Horses first arrived on the southeast North American mainland in 1521, brought by Ponce de Leon on his second trip to the region, where they were used by officers, scouts and livestock herders. Later expeditions brought more horses and cattle to Spanish Florida. By the late 16th century, horses were used extensively in the local cattle business and by the late 17th century the industry was flourishing, especially in what is now northern Florida and southern Georgia. The horses brought to North America by the Spanish and subsequently bred there included Barbs, Garranos, Spanish Jennets, Sorraias, Andalusians and other Iberian breeds. Overall, they were relatively small and had physical traits distinctive of Spanish breeds, including short backs, sloping shoulders, low set tails and wide foreheads.
The vaquero tradition has had little influence in Florida.
The early cattle drivers, nicknamed Florida Crackers and Georgia Crackers, used the Spanish horses to drive cattle. The cowboys received their nickname from the distinctive cracking of their whips, and the name was transferred to both the horses they rode and the cattle they herded. Through their primary use as stock horses, the type developed into the Florida Cracker horse, known for its speed, endurance and agility. From the mid-16th century to the 1930s, this type was the predominant horse in the southeastern United States.These were replaced mostly by thoroughbreds after introduction of “screw worms” from imported cattle, and the Spanish breeds nearly went extinct.
Long before Mickey Mouse came to town, the major attractions in the Kissimmee/Orlando area were the local rodeos. You can still experience the traditional culture of Kissimmee’s cowboys through the Kissimmee Sports Arena Rodeo. The rodeo runs at least twice a month on Friday nights at 8 pm. The Florida cowboy, or Cracker Cowboy became a branding symbol in the 1930s-50s.
There was a local watering hole called the Big Bamboo on highway #192 for decades. It was a bamboo structure that sat in the midst of a pasture when I was a child. All the cowboys came by to wet their whistles after a long day of herding and told their stories. A wrecked plane and rusted out ambulance graced the front yard, the owner keeping them there as conversation pieces. He was a funny old man and refused to sell the Big Bamboo when all of the million dollar hotels were going up around him. It wasn’t until he died at the turn of the 21st Century that his grandchildren sold off the property and the Big Bamboo was no more. It’s where I had my first taste of alcohol while visiting my Uncle Jim, who started Cypress Cove nudist resort.
But I digress.
Several documentaries have been made about the Cracker Cowboys as they fight to defend their ranch land from encroaching development. Here’s a short clip from one of them.
More than one of these Florida Cracker Cowboys makes his way into Book Two of the Naked Eye Series.
Naked Malice, or Naked Odds? ….the story focuses on some gambling and other issues surrounding gambling in Florida and how the Seminoles are dealing with getting rich quick.
Filed under: Fascinating Florida, Settings and Feature Articles on Naked Malice, Uncategorized Tagged: Book Two, Cowboys, Florida Cowboys, Florida Crackers, Florida Horses, Georgia Crackers, Horses, Indians, Naked Eye Series, Naked Malice, Naked Odds, Native Americans, S. K. Nicholls, Seminoles
November 3, 2016
S.K. Nicholls’ Naked Alliances Blog Tour in Full Swing
Blog tour is underway. It’s been going on since October 24th. Lots of fun touring around the blogosphere in places I’ve never been before. I’ve been sharing the posts on FaceBook and Twitter. For those that don’t follow my other sites, but know about this blog, I’ve put together a list of these posts so you can maybe go by and show the hosts some blogger/comment love.
The blog tour kicked off with the Press Release posted on Florida Book News and My Bookish Pleasures.
One of my favorites is a guest post that was posted on The Writer’s Life eMagazine: “Writing Humor into Your Work”. It will tickle your funny bone and maybe teach you a little something. It was a fun one to write.
My cover artist received some much deserved attention in a post for Book Cover Junkie: “Guest Post by S.K. Nicholls Author of Naked Alliances”.
I had opportunity to share my publishing journey on BOOK PUBLISHING SECRETS: HOW TO PUBLISH YOUR BOOK! Authors’ candid tales into the land of publication…: “Book Publishing Secrets with S.K. Nicholls”.
There are a couple of guest posts yet to be released…but my list was getting long and it’s already a bit overwhelming.
As the Pages Turn, Plug Your Book, and Read My First Chapter all posted the first chapter of the book, which you may have already read here, but they deserve a mention for helping to spread the word.
The interviews are always fun, too. So many questions that made me think both deeply and lightly on how and why this book came about, my writing process, and some fun facts about myself I wasn’t even aware of until asked.
The first interview is on Straight From The Author’s Mouth. There are many more to come.
It’s been a fun ride, but it’s not over yet…it’s only just begun! Stay tuned for more about Naked Alliances and the crazy lady who wrote it
October 31, 2016
Naked Alliances by S.K. Nicholls
From someone who has followed this book from its roots to its branches, dear friend Mark Paxon, author of One Night in Bridgeport.
First an acknowledgement … I was a beta reader for this book. At least once, probably twice. I have been a big behind the scenes supporter of Susan’s efforts. So, take my review with a grain of salt if you must, but know that I have read the manuscripts for a couple dozen self-published books over the last couple of years and you haven’t seen a review of many of those books here on my blog.
Naked Alliances is the first of what Susan promises to be a series of Florida crime fiction novels. We’re introduced to private investigator Richard Noggin and Brandi, a particularly unique character you may find only in Florida (okay, maybe in some places in California and New York City, too). Noggin is asked to solve a cold-case murder. His investigation and a twist brought into his life by Brandi thrust him into a different side…
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October 22, 2016
Naked Alliances Marketing Progress
So many good things happening! The first Press Release went out yesterday on Florida Book News. Happy to report that Naked Alliances already has eight five star reviews.
In other exciting news,…we have a website! Thanks to the talent and creativity of Tonia Brewer at All Ways Write we got that site up and running in time for the blog tour that begins Monday, October 24th. There are ten interviews and five guest posts scheduled to go out with that campaign.
Feel free to visit the website and hang around a while. Lots of good stuff there. It’s a work in progress, and we’ll be tweaking the site and updating content regularly.
We have a live radio interview coming up with Surf’s Up 97.3 Flagler Beach Radio. Owner, Vern Shank, gave us a thumbs up to get that going ASAP. They are really busy over there in Flagler Beach cleaning up after the hurricane.
Lost a good section of the infamous A1A. As soon as I have an exact date and time I’ll post it and you can tune in via the internet link to the station…you don’t have to be in broadcast range…it’s live-streaming from the site. Best rock and roll in the South and awesome beach tunes. There’s even a live camera on the pier so you can watch the surf while you listen.
I’m working with Eric at The Parliament House to set up a launch party and book signing next month. My, how time flies!!!
We have some zany maps of Florida being printed up that will keep you informed of Richard and Brandi’s location, as they traverse the State of Florida over the course of the series. These map/bookmarks will be going out with a newsletter that’s in the works. Stay tuned and I’ll let you know how that progresses.
Meanwhile, grab yourself a copy of Naked Alliances, kick back, pour yourself a margarita, and pretend you’re in Florida as this cold weather approaches. If you are already here, enjoy the familiarity of all things Florida.
In Naked Alliances, Nicholls takes readers on a witty, wild, wickedly fun romp that exposes a side of Orlando tourists rarely see. The debut release in The Naked Eye Private Investigator Series, Naked Alliances introduces lone wolf P.I. Richard Noggin.
About Naked Alliances: When a young immigrant woman and an exotic dancer are forced to flee men with guns and have no place to hide, Richard Noggin, P.I., can’t turn his back—even if helping out makes him a target. Richard plans to impress an aspiring politician by taking on a big white-collar case that could take him from the streets to an air-conditioned office. Instead,he’s handed a cold case and quickly finds himself sucked into a shadowy world of sex, secrets and…murder. Marked for a bullet and stretched thin by his investigations, Richard reluctantly teams up with the unlikely, brassy custodian of the young woman on the run. With bodies piling up, Richard and his companion are forced to go undercover in a most unlikely locale: the Leisure Lagoon, a nudist resort. Going undercover in this instance will mean going uncovered…but lives are at stake—and this Naked Eye will have to juggle to keep his balls in the air and connect the dots before anyone else is murdered. As his pulse-quickening quest for answers leads from the dark corners of Orlando’s Little Saigon to the sunny exposure of the Leisure Lagoon, Richard will be put to the test. Just how much will this Naked Eye have to bear…or bare? The heat is on in this quirky Sunshine State crime thriller.
S.K. Nicholls is author of Naked Alliances, Book One in the Naked Eye 
Series. Her family owns and operates a nudist resort located in Central Florida, Cypress Cove. She has a deep understanding of the lifestyle choice and how it harbors clandestine elements of intrigue and fascination. Social issues are at the forefront of her writing that is touched with a humorous edge. She lives in Orlando, Florida with her husband, Greg. When she’s not writing, she can be found tracking down Snorlaxes, wandering city parks with the homeless, or sipping margaritas on the bow of a boat.
Filed under: Marketing, Settings and Feature Articles on Naked Alliances, Uncategorized Tagged: marketing, Naked Alliances, Press Release, sknicholls.com, Surf 97.3, The Parliament House, upcoming newsletter, Website
October 16, 2016
Secrets To Getting Reviews For YOUR Book, REVEALED! BookTuber Elizabeth Hebb Tells All
This was a fantastic interview and I’ve forwarded it to my publicist. A lot of this can be done on your own, but having her as a resource might be a nice way to lessen my work load. Thank you for sharing. This is a rather unconventional method of gaining reviews and exposure, but well worth the investment in time and energy in this ever-changing world of marketing.
We had a great time chatting with Elizabeth Hebb, a BookTuber who will explain to you how to get more reviews for your book!
BookTubers review books – LOTS of books. Like a written book review, BookTubers discuss your book in video format on YouTube – to their many, many subscribers and followers! Meet Elisabeth, a BookTuber who will help you understand the world of video reviews.
Hosts of Writers Off Task With Friends: Dan Alatorre (www.DanAlatorre.com), Allison Maruska (www.allisonmaruska.com), J. A. Allen (www.scribblesoncocktailnapkins.wordpress.com).
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
BookTubers share good books with each other – and their followers. Discover tips to get your book found by BookTuber community.
How to approach a review from a BookTuber – and anyone else who does reviews.
What kind of synopsis catches the reviewer’s eye?
What to include in your review request – and what to absolutely…
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October 13, 2016
Naked Alliances on Lisa Burton Radio
Brandi paid a visit to Idaho to chat with C.S. Boyack’s Lisa Burton of the Lisa Burton Radio Show. I’m certain the two could get into serious trouble together. Lisa is a lovely host and she had a surprise for Brandi.
Coming at you with 1.21 jigawatts of power, you’ve discovered Lisa Burton Radio. The only show where we interview the characters that you love to read about. I’m Lisa Burton, the robot girl, and I’m waiting for my guest Brandi to show up.
She’s out in the meadow, following her cellphone somewhere. I know the old Airstream is in a forest, but come on! I’ll just throw the switch for the loudspeaker. “Hey, Brandi, over here.” That seems to have gotten her attention.
“Damn that’s loud! So sorry I’m late. I play Pokemon Go. There was a Snorlax in my nearby sightings and I was trying to track him. I think I stepped in some yak splat. Ewww, it’s all over my new shoes.”
“Welcome to the show, Brandi. Here’s some paper towels to clean that up.”
“Thank you. Man, this place is hard to find. It’s beautiful up here…
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October 12, 2016
Don’t get left out
Great Promo going on over at Entertaining Stories. Get ‘Em While They’re Hot!!!!
Lisa Burton, the robot girl here tonight. As Craig’s personal assistant, I am the one who put together most of his current promotions. I’m also the spokesmodel for his writing career, but there is no new poster to go along with all the stops he’s been making. Although we do have a poster for his Macabre Macaroni stories.
I decided to put my insane sign shaker skills to help with the promotions. Craig thinks I’m silly, but I can toss this thing in the air, spin around and catch it. Robotic precision baby.
First, let’s talk about The Playground. This is Craig’s latest novel, and it has a decidedly Halloween vibe going for it.
Basically, some nutjob created a social network that targets children. He’s brainwashing them to create his own homegrown army. To speed things along, he turns to the occult.
There is this girl who becomes one…
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