Ingrid Hall's Blog, page 18

Review of The Fetish Collection by Paul Burns

To make sure that you don’t miss out on any of our reviews please make sure that you also follow https://lunaballantyne.wordpress.com as we will be reviewing all romance and erotica titles over there…

Paul Burns was born in Liverpool in 1949. He lived in North Wales, Birkenhead and Blackburn before his parents emigrated to New Zealand in 1960.  He moved to London in 1978 where he has lived ever since. He is a registered psychotherapist and volunteered as a caseworker at what is now known as Freedom From Torture, working with survivors of torture has influenced his writing. The book is dedicated to the memory of Sarah and James Courage. (Sarah became New-Zealand’s first censored author in 1896)

Thumbs up from Luna:

* The introduction, while VERY RARE in modern day erotica is interesting and sets the tone perfectly for the rest of the book. Readers are left in no doubt that the author is going for mental titillation as much as physical…

To continue reading click here.

 

 

Hot, erotic sex for just $0.99

Author Ingrid Hall:

It doesn’t get any better than this!

Originally posted on Confessions of Luna Ballantyne:

Feeling a bit frustrated? Well, grab yourself your fave dildo and then head over to Smashwords and DOWNLOAD FREEDOM FOR JUST $0.99 (that’s around £0.63)

The Highwayman is guaranteed to make your bedroom rock!

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/496778

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New Service…

Hey everyone,

As most of you will know in addition to writing and reviewing, I also offer an affordable editing service to authors. (Simply click the link for details)

I am always trying to “tweak” my services to keep them relevant and in tune with what other authors are telling me that they want. So, with that in mind I am introducing a new service focusing on the all important first three chapters of your book.

Whether you are planning on submitting your book to an agent for consideration for traditional publishing or are thinking about going down the indie route, getting those initial three chapters right can mean the difference between success and failure.  So, why leave it to chance?

I will:

Read your first three chapters with an objective mind.

Check for grammatical errors – If they are minor, I will correct them. If they are major then I will suggest that you consider a comprehensive edit.

Provide you with a detailed assessment of strengths and weaknesses, paying particular attention to character development and story arc.  I will also give you suggestions for improvement as well as hints for character and plot development.

My fee?

I will do this all for just £25 ($40) – Payable upfront via PayPal.

Can you really afford not to take up this incredible, potentially time-saving offer?

Interested? – Simply contact me using the contact form provided.

[contact-form]

 

Sock Puppets

Hey everyone,

The Indie review world can get a bit murky from time to time, and I just want to make my position on the book reviews that we run on this site very clear:

We will NOT write sock puppet reviews under any circumstances. No matter who you are.

I am speaking in general here. I totally understand that a lot of indie authors will write glowing mutual reviews for each other – and I can see why people might be tempted to do that.  However, it ultimately destroys the credibility of indie authors everywhere.

All reviews that appear on any of MY sites will be constructive and fair. We will call each book as we read it and sincerely hope that anyone reading and reviewing any of our books will do exactly the same.

No-one wants to see a bad review about their book. However, readers have a right to expect integrity and honesty in the reviewing system.

So, just to be one-hundred percent clear.  My definition of a balanced review may be very different to yours. While I am always happy to review books for friends, please don’t ask me to do so unless you are prepared to accept that your book will be reviewed in exactly the same way as anyone contacting me for the very first time…

Read the first chapter of Freedom…Free!

Hi,

For a limited period, I will be offering you all the chance to read the first chapter of Freedom totally FREE of charge. So, if you are curious and want to know more about Zara and her naughty little kit simply click here.  There is no need to login.  No need to set up any accounts.  This is simply Luna’s sexy little gift to you!

Love Ingrid xxx

30 Video Sharing Sites to Upload Your Book Trailer

Author Ingrid Hall:

I am still getting to grips with YouTube – but these other sites seem worth exploring for those of you with book trailers to promote!

Originally posted on Savvy Writers & e-Books online:

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Distribute your video for free to as many sites as possible. Which of these online video platforms is right for your book?  Watch many of the hosting company’s uploaded videos to get a feeling for their viewers and the type of videos that are popular on their site. Or try them all and after a month or two check out the statistics where the most traffic comes from.  Schedule a couple of hours to sign in on all these video sharing websites.  Automated submitters such as TubeMogul cannot do it for you. It’s just a one-time task and you are done for the coming years.  30 video sharing sites to find the right ones for you.

Excerpt from the brand new e-book: ***** 111 Tips to Create Your Book Trailer ***** featuring valuable tips and links to video tutorials, free music downloads and free images, available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008Y15YYO

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Indie and Proud…Virginia Wright

Anyone who has followed my blog will know that  I am a big fan of Virginia Wright, and have featured her several times on here.  I also have to admit to being biased as I was involved in the editing process of this gorgeous, book for preschoolers.

The “Daddy” of time-travel, Dennis Higgins has run this fab feature on her recently. You will have to follow the link to his blog to read the full feature…and for your chance to win a copy of Wild Animal Sounds!

Over to Dennis Higgins…

Virginia Wright, the author of wonderful Children’s books, such as Buzzzzzzzz What Honeybees Do, The Prince and the Dragon: A Fairy Tale, and The Christmas Secret has done it again with her magnificent interactive book, titled: Wild Animal Sounds. Available on Amazon for Pre-Order. Release November 27th.

Wild Animal Sounds is an interactive picture book, cleverly designed with simple text and a phrased paragraph pattern to help teach children sounds. Not only is this a great learning experience for your pre-schooler, it also provides an ideal opportunity for parents and caregivers to bond with their child in a fun yet educational way. Relive your childhood by taking an imaginary tour of the jungle! Rawr, Gr-aaaaa-ah, G-r-r-r-r-r, like a bear, MMM-ow and Psshhh, like the tallest of giraffes before hunkering down and howling like a coyote: Rup-rup-rup-aroo.

While introducing your child to some of the most popular animals in the wild and the funny sounds they make, Wild Animal Sounds will help them develop a sound, word, and picture association.

Wild Animal Sounds is a perfect fit for children who are just learning to talk.

For your chance to win a copy follow this link

Review of Love Finds You (The Helena’s Grove Series #1) by Ivy Alexander

Author Ingrid Hall:

Check out Luna’s review of Love Finds You (The Helena’s Grove Series) Please note that the reviews on that blog are in a different format to this blog – and Luna isn’t as gentle in her comments.

Originally posted on Confessions of Luna Ballantyne:

Okay, it has been a while since I have treated you to my own “unique” take on books.  I am kicking off this week with  contemporary romance.  Love Finds You by Ivy Alexander.  I honestly can’t decide whether I am glad that I have only just come across this disclaimer on GoodReads after reading…Or not!

Note: This book was previously published under “Love Is Thicker Than Blood” by Ivy Alexander. New content has been added including an extended ending, with twists and turns you’ll be sure to love! 

The disclaimer tells me that the author has had negative feedback about the book when first published. While reworking and republishing is definitely not a bad thing IF the author takes on board the feedback and runs with it – well, it is going to be kind of problematic when there are still major flaws with the book…

Thumbs…

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Sheer LUNA See!

Okay, so Luna now has her very own newspaper! Click here to check out and follow Sheer LUNA See! for all the latest tips and tricks from the writing world, plus lots more! From now on the online paper will be published weekly, on a Friday!

Apologies also to those of you waiting for book reviews. I have been so busy with life in general, as well as promoting Freedom that I simply haven’t had as much time to read as I would like. Hopefully, I will get a chance to put that right sometime very soon!

Luna will be posting a review of a Contemporary Romance tomorrow. Click here to make sure that you don’t miss any of her reviews.

Love Ingrid xxx

 

 

Professional Cover Art…Do You Really Need It?

As part of my pledge to help indie authors as much as possible, I just want to reflect for a moment or two on the thorny issue of cover art.  Is it okay to use Amazon’s templates? Or, do you need to pay to have a cover designed from scratch?

The answer is somewhere in between!

When I first published my epic 250,000 word Granny Irene’s Guide to the Afterlife – Revenge – Part 1. (Yes, Part 1 came in at 250,000 words LOL) I was clueless as to the workings of the indie world.  I naively thought that simply by publishing my masterpiece that I would be well on my way to fame and fortune.  FOOL!  In spite of Lenora’s best attempts to get me to invest in some cover art, I point blank refused and went with this delightful cover from Amazon.

Hmmm, it doesn’t really say much about the book does it? It doesn’t give the reader any idea as to what they can expect. Unfortunately for me, some readers seemed to want a nice fluffy version of Heaven and the Afterlife…They certainly didn’t want monsters, demons and terrifying sea-serpents…Would a professionally designed cover have helped me? Yes, I am sure it would.

So, when the time came to start re-vamping good old Granny Irene, I started looking around at costs and was horrified to realise that I could easily end up paying $500 (That’s around £315) for a cover.  No way Jose, was my response to that! Then I stumbled across Ida at Amygdala Design and was TRULY AMAZED by the quality and affordability of her pre-made covers.  These are covers that Ida has already designed and are purchased off the peg. (She simply adds your name and book title) Covers are sold only once, so once you have bought it is is yours. Costing just $70 (around £44) This was a no-brainer and I ended up ordering covers for my revised Granny Irene, and also The Tunnel Betwixt…

See, MUCH better! When writing Freedom, Book One in The Sensual Liaisons Series…I knew that my highwayman had to have a certain “look” so I decided to upgrade and go for a tailored package.   The quality of the artwork is the same, but Ida will design a cover to your exact requirements….TaDah!

Yes, I am singing Ida’s praises, but hand on heart – I wouldn’t go anywhere else for my cover art now.  As far as I am concerned, she is “my” cover designer!   She is also doing an incredible offer for NaNoWriMo.  Check her out http://www.amygdaladesign.net/