D.E. Haggerty's Blog, page 33
September 18, 2017
Enjoy a special recipe from Gone with the Wings author @leenaclover #cozymystery #giveaway
Gone with the Wings (Meera Patel Cozy Mystery Series)
by Leena Clover
Gone with the Wings (Meera Patel Cozy Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Self Published
Publication Date: June 3, 2017
Paperback: 269 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1521448984
E-Book ASIN: B071WHNM6K
Author Leena Clover announces a brand new cozy mystery series set in a small Oklahoma college town. Mystery readers will enjoy this culinary cozy murder mystery featuring plenty of yummy recipes like Masala Fried Chicken and Shish Kabob Blue Plate Special.
Meera Patel is back home with the family after she dropped out of graduate school. Now she shelves books for a living and rustles up fusion recipes at Sylvie’s Cafe & Diner. Everything is fine until her old nemesis Prudence Walker floats up in the local pond. Meera is accused of murder! Well, she did publicly declare Prudence would drop dead.
Meera cries foul and screams police harassment. But she has no defense when she is accused of a second crime. Flanked by pals Tony and Becky, Meera puts in the leg work, trying to solve clues and discard red herrings.
Fall in Oklahoma has never been more exciting.
Cozy mystery fans will love this new mystery series featuring an Asian American amateur sleuth. There is a full cast of characters with a professor father, young sibling, old grandparents, loyal friends and a candid glimpse into South Asian culture.
~ A Special Recipe from the Author ~
Pioneer PaniniMeera and her friends love this Panini because it is full of Pioneer Poly spirit. The fresh green cilantro pesto is the heart of this yummy sandwich.
Ingredients
2 cups cilantro tightly packed
½ cup sunflower seeds
4 cloves garlic
1-2 Serrano or jalapeno pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper
8-10 roasted red peppers
8 slices provolone cheese
8 slices artisan bread
Butter
Method
Lightly roast sunflower seeds until they are toasty. Cool completely.
Add sunflower seeds to food processor. Pulse until they are almost powdered.
Add grated or crushed garlic, chopped jalapeno or Serrano pepper, cilantro and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Pulse until cilantro is minced finely.
Now stream in olive oil and process until a smooth paste is formed.
To assemble the Panini –
Butter bread slices on both sides. Slather the bread with a thick layer of pesto. Place a cheese slice on each bread. Place roasted red peppers on one and cover with the other.
Toast in a Panini press or in a skillet until cooked well on both sides.
Serve hot with chips on the side.
Makes 4 panini sandwiches
Note – Remove seeds of jalapenos to control the heat. Use Swiss, cheddar or mozzarella instead of provolone for a different taste every time. Use the stems of the cilantro – they are packed with flavor.
~ About The Author ~
Leena Clover is the author of the brand new Meera Patel Cozy Mystery Series, starring a 20 something Desi girl as the protagonist. The series is set in a small Oklahoma college town Meera calls home.
Leena Clover offers plenty of clues for her readers so that they can solve the mystery as they read along. Readers can expect a unique look into Indian/ South Asian culture and plenty of yummy recipes.
~ Stalk the Author ~
Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads
~ Giveaway ~
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
September 18 – Student of Opinions – REVIEW
September 19 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW
September 19 – Readsalot – GUEST POST
September 20 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
September 20 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – INTERVIEW
September 21 – Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting – REVIEW
September 21 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT
September 22 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, INTERVIEW
September 22 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 23 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
September 23 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
September 24 – Island Confidential – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
September 25 – Book Babble – REVIEW
September 25 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
September 26 – Laura’s Interests – SPOTLIGHT
September 26 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
September 27 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW
September 27 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
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Hints for making your blog title catchy #MondayBlogs #AmWriting
In today’s world where we have an overwhelming amount of information to sift through every day and little time in which to do such sifting – let alone the reading itself – producing interesting and well-written blogs is not enough. Unless you already have a HUGE following (if so, let me know how you did it), you need to also find people who want to actually read your blogs. I’ve written a lot about the so-called author platform. Today’s blog is not about that. Today, I’m simply going to talk about blog titles.
Why does your blog article need a catchy title?
[image error]Capture interest. Unless your title catches my interest, I won’t be reading your blog. I follow a ton of blogs for various reasons. I want to be informed about the writing industry, I want to find new books to read, and I just plain want to be informed. I use the WordPress App to scroll through the blogs I follow. I often do this on my phone while standing in line at the supermarket or waiting for my turn at the physical therapist’s office. Being totally honest here, I won’t read your blog if the title doesn’t catch my interest. Who has time to read mediocre blogs?
How to have a catchy title?
I’m not going to tell you how to write a catchy title. There are plenty of experts out there who are way better at that sort of thing. I will give you have few helpful hints.
Keep it short stupid (KISS). It’s not easy to make a short blog title. As Benjamin Franklin said,
I have already made this paper too long, for which I must crave pardon, not having now time to make it shorter.
There are few issues with longer titles. The entire title will be cut-off on the WordPress App. And the entire title will not show in a tweet. Instead the dreaded … will appear. Then, there’s also the fact that we humans appear to have shorter and shorter attention spans. I think my attention span is that of a gnat.
[image error]Limit Hashtags. I will admit I’ve changed my mind about hashtags. I was adamantly opposed when I first started tweeting. Now, I’ve learned that hashtags are an essential part of tweeting. HOWEVER – there needs to be a balance between text and hashtags. All hashtags in a blog title will make me roll my eyes and keep scrolling. It’s difficult to ascertain what the blog is actually about if the title is just a bunch of hashtags. Scrolling on …
[image error]Tweeting. I try – try being the operative word here – to provide my twitter followers with interesting reading material. I like to tweet fun or thought-provoking blogs I read. I’m also lazy busy. I don’t want to come up with a catchy tweet. Nope. I want to steal yours. Just a reminder to configure your blog so that the blog title appears like you want it. I’d also advise adding @{your name} to the end of that configuration. That way you’ll see it in your twitter notifications each time someone tweets your article. Stalking opportunity!
Any other helpful hints for blog titles. Share in the comments.
September 17, 2017
Read an excerpt of The Witch’s Handbook to Hunting Vampires #paranormal #cozymystery from @amyboylesauthor #giveaway
[image error]
Paranormal/Witch Cozy Mystery
Date Published: September 5, 2017
~ Blurb ~
Andie Taylor is your average single mom. She’s got a beautiful toddler, a great job at the local preschool, a neurotic best friend and one huge secret—she used to hunt vampires. Now retired, Andie would much rather be wiping kid snot off her clothes than stalking the undead.
But after a meteor rips through her small town, strange things start happening—like the school janitor is found dead with fang marks in his neck.
Andie’s retired, it’s not her problem.
Until vampires attack Andie on her front lawn. Now she has to figure out who the head bloodsucker is and stop him from taking any more victims—all while juggling single motherhood, a crazy great aunt, and Andie’s own lust for a fallen angel. Can she solve the mystery before the vampires claim someone else? Or will she become the next target of the bloodsuckers?
Grab a copy!
~ Excerpt ~
“Expect the unexpected, especially when it comes to relatives.”
—The Witch’s Handbook
My great-aunt Dot decided to poof into my life at the exact same moment I was talking my best friend down from the comet-pocalypse that was about to hit our town.
Literally—on both fronts.
I waved away a shimmering cloud of silver dust and came face-to-face with a pink-haired, feather-jacket-wearing seventy-year-old.
“Andie, get off the phone.” Aunt Dot pulled off a pair of matching feather gloves and tossed them on a side table by my turquoise front door.
I placed a hand over the receiver. “I’ve told you a thousand times, I don’t want you working magic in my house.”
“We’ve got bigger fish to fricassee than your stupid rules.”
“I don’t want Gabby to see.”
Dot’s blue eyes sparkled. “Oh? Where is the little munchkin?”
I nodded toward the bedroom. “In there. Sound asleep.” I wagged a finger at her. “Don’t you change that.”
My newly acquired geriatric companion shuffled off to not wake my two-year-old daughter, who happened to be the love of my life. I sighed and put the phone back to my ear.
Kate panted into the line. “It’s the end of the world, Andie! I just know it.”
I grimaced. Kate McCall, my best friend and cohort in crime, pierced my eardrum with her shrieks of the apocalypse.
“It’s not the end of the world,” I said soothingly.
“Go look. Missy Burke’s already rode down my street calling it that. If she says it’s the end, then it probably is. That woman’s got her finger on the pulse of this town.”
“More like her nose up its rear end,” I said.
“Andie. Be nice.” Kate paused. “Never mind. I love you the way you are.”
I opened my front door and stepped out. A cold October wind ripped over the porch. I rubbed my arms to warm them. Boards in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint creaked under my ballerina flats.
A shiny full-size Ford pickup truck grunted down Cedar Street in my small hometown of Normal, Alabama. The driver bore down on the horn, threw her head out the window and yelled, “It’s the end of the world, y’all! The Lord’s coming in a comet to set y’all straight.”
Missy Burke was nothing if not informative. Dark hair trailed behind her like snakes as the wind whipped across her face.
She pointed at me. “Say your prayers, Andie Taylor. The Lord sees you. He knows where you’re going when you face judgment.”
Which I took to mean I wasn’t going to be standing beside her in heaven. If you asked Missy, she was the most perfect person on the planet and one of the few who’d get through the pearly gates.
I gave a friendly wave. “He sees you, too, scaring the good folks in this town half to death. You should be ashamed of yourself, Missy.”
Missy scrunched up her face and swatted at me as if I didn’t matter.
“Missy Burke just told me I was going to hell,” I said over the line.
“I’ll probably see you there,” Kate said. “I don’t think I prayed enough, Andie. St. Peter’s going to tell me I need to turn right back around and go the other way.”
I laughed. “That’s not going to happen. You’re a great person. St. Peter’s going to be excited to have you.”
With Missy gone, the night had quieted but for a white light shining in the distance. It looked like a star except it was getting bigger by the moment. “It’s a comet. Nothing to worry about.”
“It’s pretty bright. It’s going to hit my house.”
“Listen, I’ll keep an eye on it. If it looks like it’s going to destroy your house, I’ll call you.”
“Thank you. Mwuah.” She kissed the phone. “You’re the greatest friend in all the world.”
“I try.”
We hung up, and I went inside, immediately wondering if I had any chocolate in the house. I entered the kitchen, opened the fridge and found a bottle of syrup. Dot’s presence always stressed me out. I flipped the lid and squirted some in my mouth.
Better. Now I was ready to face my great-aunt. I crossed back to the living room.
Dot entered and started zipping up all the blinds.
“What are you doing?” I said.
“We’ve got to keep an eye on that comet. It’s not a natural phenomenon, Andie. It’s something magical.”
“It’s always about magic with you,” I mumbled. “Did you show up just to make my life complicated?”
Dot plumped her pink hair. “Of course not, but you’re a hunter and a witch. It beats me why you won’t use your powers.”
I crossed my arms and leaned against the front door. “Was a hunter. Witchcraft causes more problems than it’s worth. You of all people should know that.”
Dot withered a bit. I instantly felt a pang of guilt, but the truth was the truth.
“Mom died because of magic.”
Dot shook her head. “Your mother died because she called something she couldn’t control. It nearly killed all of us.”
I flared my arms. “That’s in the past. I don’t need magic and I don’t want it. My life is perfectly normal exactly as it is, and I want to keep it that way.”
Neither of us said anything. I waited a moment, letting the tension in the room dissolve.
Dot shrugged off her jacket and threw it on a chair.
“You’re not staying long, are you?” I said.
Please, don’t let her be staying long.
She plopped onto the couch and kicked up her feet. “I don’t know yet. Depends on what that comet brings.”
“How about some stardust and that’s it.”
At that moment a Magic 8 Ball sailed into the room.
Dot threw up her hands in glee. “Vordrid! Finally, someone with sense.”
Vordrid sniffed. I know that as a Magic 8 Ball he didn’t technically have a nose, but that didn’t stop him from making sounds only a person with a head could create. “I’m twelve hundred years old. I should have some sense.”
Dot turned to me. “For someone who doesn’t want Gabby seeing magic, I don’t understand why you keep Vordrid.”
“Because Vordrid is family, and he doesn’t cause any trouble,” I said, nodding at her.
Truth be told, Vordrid was the only link I had to Dex, my husband, who’d died before Gabby was born.
An arrow of pain pierced my heart. I pushed it aside, doing my best not to fall into the pit of despair that was the longing I still had for Dex.
“I wouldn’t leave Andie if you gave me a crystal skull to live in,” Vordrid said. “And according to that Ancient Aliens show, crystal skulls possess lots of power.”
Vordrid had been my mentor in my hunter days. What’s a hunter, you ask? A select group of witches and wizards employed to seek out and destroy evil beings. Dex and I had specialized in vampires, though plenty of hunters tracked other magical creatures.
Vordrid was the only piece of that old life I’d kept.
The light outside brightened. Dot flew off the couch and to the window. “Quick! This is no ordinary comet.”
“As you’ve said.” I caught my reflection in the mirror above the mantel. My thick honey- and platinum-colored hair lay in sagging curls over my shoulders, and I had dark circles under each eye that even my cute fringe of bang couldn’t draw your attention away from. What I wouldn’t give for some stress relief.
Like a massage.
I yawned. “Wake me when it’s over.”
Dot glanced at Vordrid. “Can’t you do anything with her?”
Vordrid settled himself down on the coffee table. “What can I do with a witch who doesn’t want to be one?”
I smiled. “He’s pretty much right.”
Dot clasped her hands in frustration. “Andie, you must advocate for us. For your profession.”
“Dot, I’m a preschool teacher at Giving Trunk. I advocate for children every day.”
Yes, it’s trunk, not tree. I think there was some sort of infringement thing that kept the place from being called Giving Tree.
Dot choked on something. By the sound of it, I think it was frustration. “You’re a witch.”
“Was a witch. I don’t practice.”
Vordrid pivoted toward Dot. “I haven’t been able to do anything with her for years. Not since that night.”
Dot shook her head and glanced back at the comet. “I don’t have time for your piddling, Andie. It’s coming.”
“It’s not like it’s the end of the world,” I said.
Vordrid hopped a bit. “It could be. You know that’s what killed the dinosaurs.”
“Vordrid, it’s not the end of the world.”
“Stranger things have happened.”
I nodded. “Exactly. Like me living with the spirit of a twelve-hundred-year-old wizard who resides inside a kid’s toy.”
Vordrid rattled his shell. “As I said, stranger things.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thank you for reminding me. I’m going to check on Gabby.”
I padded into the small bedroom off the parlor and placed a hand in the crib. Gabby slept soundly. I pulled the covers down over her legs and made sure she was breathing.
Because that’s what all mothers do—we sporadically make sure that our children are still breathing because we’re a little mental that way.
The house started to shake. I pulled Gabby’s crib away from the wall to make sure nothing would fall on her and went back into the living room. A couple of picture frames tumbled from their place on the mantel.
“Magic,” Dot whispered.
“Natural phenomenon,” I shot back.
“I feel a disturbance in the force,” Vordrid said.
What the…? Seriously? Were they all against me?
I peeked out the window. Yellowish light filled the entire sky. People were coming out of their homes. I rushed back in to check on Gabby, and she was sleeping soundly. I glanced out the window as the comet flew over the street, scorching the tops of the trees.
A moment later it sounded like the world had split in two. A quake rocked the house. Knicknacks fell off the shelves to the floor. The shaking subsided as quickly as it started, and the night retuned to peace and quiet.
Except for the twenty car alarms blaring down my street. I guess the rumbling had set them off.
Gabby slept soundly. Thank goodness. Whenever she woke in the middle of the night, she would cry on and on. It was a nightmare trying to get her back to sleep. I had a feeling Dot may have had something to do with keeping her in slumber.
“I’m going to see what happened,” Vordrid said. His spirit lifted from the ball. It looked like strips of white gossamer as it zipped out the window.
I thought things might get back to normal in Normal for the rest of the night.
Silly me. I realized that wasn’t going to happen when Dot grabbed me by the shoulders and spun me around. Perched on my couch, licking its paw, sat a gray gargoyle. He wasn’t very big, about the size of a pound of flour, but he was still a creature that wasn’t supposed to be in my house.
“What the heck?” I screeched.
Dot pushed me forward. “It must’ve hitchhiked on my back when I came up from Patagonia.”
“Patagonia?” I said.
She wiggled her fingers. “I was there learning how to touch the sky. I must’ve touched something else instead.”
“Yeah, like a monster.”
The gargoyle stopped licking its paw. It opened leathery wings lined with veins, unhinged its mouth, and shot fire at us.
I ducked. “Oh dear Lord!”
“Stop it, Andie,” Dot said, pushing me forward.
I tried to scramble back, but she held me fast. “Why are you shoving me closer to it? Are you trying to fry me?”
Dot clasped my shoulders tightly. “You’re a hunter. Use your power!”
I pressed my heels into the rug, turned around and said, “Would you quit calling me that!”
Another spray of fire shot above our heads.
“Ah,” I screamed.
“You’re going to wake up Gabby,” Dot said, patting down her pink hair.
Holy crap on a stick. She was right. If I didn’t deal with this little turdball on my couch, the toddler would wake up and that would be a crying nightmare worse than my great-aunt visiting me.
I started to pull the energy from the room and bring it into my body. The small taste of power felt good. Almost a little too good, like when you haven’t eaten chocolate in a really long time because you’re on a diet. Then when you taste it, it’s like heaven melting on your tongue.
Yeah, that’s kinda what using my magic felt like.
Don’t worry; I wasn’t going to admit it to Dot.
Speaking of my great-aunt, I glanced over my shoulder. The look of glee on her face made me stop. Something smelled funny, and it wasn’t the streak of blackened ceiling that little monster had caused.
I walked over to the creature and crossed my arms. “Okay, how much is my aunt paying you for scaring me?”
The gargoyle frowned.
I rubbed my thumb over my fingers. “How much? Because what she didn’t tell you is, if I use my power, you will turn to dust. I suggest you get out of here before that money or gold or whatever seems like nothing when you’re sewing yourself back together.”
The creature opened his mouth and screeched. He flapped his wings and, half a second later, vanished in a purple cloud of magic.
I waved the air clear.
“You think you’re so smart,” Dot grumbled.
I grinned. “You almost had me.” I pinched my fingers together. “So close, but you know, there’s a reason why I don’t invite you over often. Oh, and fix my ceiling.”
Dot snapped her fingers, and the smudge disappeared. She clucked at me. “Your daughter needs to learn witchcraft.”
My nostrils flared. “Gabby won’t get her powers until she hits puberty—if she even gets them then. The magic could skip a generation. But until that time, I want Gabby to live a normal, happy life. Magic has taken too much from me—first my mother and then Dex.”
Dot plucked her shirt from the waistband of her jeans. “It wasn’t the magic, per se.”
I shot her a dark look. “It was because of the magic, and don’t you forget it.”
Dot clamped her lips shut.
Vordrid shot back into the house and twisted inside the ball.
I rubbed at the headache that had sprouted in my temples. “What’d you see?”
He jumped up and down, making the knickknacks on the table jumble. “It wasn’t a regular comet.”
“See?” Dot said. “Told you so.”
“It’s really annoying when people use that phrase,” I said.
“We’re related. I can use it as much as I want.”
Vordrid kept jumping. “If it had been a comet, I would’ve expected to see the meteor. But instead of a rock, there was a shape formed into the ground.”
I scratched the back of my head. “Really? A shape? That’s interesting.”
“It was interesting, Andie. Most interesting of all was the shape it had taken.”
“And what was that?” I said, half listening.
Vordrid cleared his throat. “The shape of a human.”
Dot smirked. “Something just landed in Normal. Get ready, Andie. This town is going to need a witch, and that witch is you.”
~ About the Author ~
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Amy Boyles grew up reading Judy Blume and Christopher Pike. Somehow, the combination of coming of age books and teenage murder mysteries made her want to be a writer. After graduating college at DePauw University, she spent some time living in Chicago, Louisville, and New York before settling back in the South. Now, she spends her time chasing two toddlers while trying to stir up trouble in Silver Springs, Alabama, the fictional town where Dylan Apel and her sisters are trying to master witchcraft, tame their crazy relatives, and juggle their love lives.
Stalk the Author
Website
Goodreads
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Book Launch
~ Giveaway ~
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$50 Amazon GIFT CARD
Signed Paperback of The Witch’s Handbook to Hunting Vampires
Deluxe Witch Hat
Laura Geller Lipgloss
Bedtime Bath Bomb
Marshmallow Fluff Body Lotion
a Rafflecopter giveaway
September 15, 2017
#FunFact In the Best Interest of the Child
Stop by Instagram and Follow these Awesome Amazon Authors TODAY! 
The battle for love is never easy. Shredding Dreams, #rockstarromance from @BellaJeanisse
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Shredding Dreams (Velocity #2)
A Rockstar Romance
By Bella Jeanisse
The battle for love is never easy.
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2gWVeW9
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B074S7K5P8
AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B074S7K5P8
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Barnes & Noble: https://goo.gl/1JazJ7
Smashwords:https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/742142
Ibooks:
US: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/shredding-dreams-velocity-book-2/id1271308708?mt=11
CA: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/shredding-dreams-velocity-book-2/id1271308708?mt=11
UK: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/shredding-dreams-velocity-book-2/id1271308708?mt=11
AU: https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/shredding-dreams-velocity-book-2/id1271308708?mt=11
Lead guitarist, Ian Tate, loves his wife with all his heart. It kills him that she is not ready to end their separation. After two years, he is willing to do whatever it takes. The problem is, he doesn’t understand what went wrong. Since she won’t tell him what he did to destroy their bond, he stays close to figure it out.Sherry Tate hates that her rocker husband is hurt by their time apart. However, she can’t take him back until he changes. The emotional rift between them continues to grow, but she needs him to see for himself what he has done to her. She just hopes he does it soon.
Will Ian discover why Sherry threw him out? Does Sherry still hold a place in her heart for Ian? Can they start over after all they have put each other through? That and more in the second Rock Star Romance of the Velocity series.
Warning: For those 18 and over only. May not be suitable for all readers. Be prepared to laugh, cry, scream and squirm in your chair.
IN THE SERIES:
Rockin’ Rhythm is on sale for .99￠for a limited time
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2qIlOW0
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01LXH4UMH
AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B01LXH4UMH
CA: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01LXH4UMH
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/664925
Barnes and Noble:
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Kobo:
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Ibooks:
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Createspace:
https://www.createspace.com/6573626
ABOUT BELLA
Bella Jeanisse lives for rock music. Addicted to concerts, Avenged Sevenfold, fictional rockers, and blasting music in the car, she can’t get enough. After her father turned her on to Queen, there was no going back. Of course, it didn’t stop there. Playing guitar became a pastime, which didn’t turn into a career… until she started to pen her fantasies and publish them.
Originally from Brooklyn, New York City, she grew up with access to clubs like L’Amour and CBGBs, hung out in Greenwich Village, as well as had plenty of friends in bands. No wonder rockers stayed on her mind. Bringing her ideas to life was a long time coming.
She is now living near Tampa, FL with 3 kids and 2 grandkids, as a single mom. Her family supports her writing even when it seems to take up more time than they feel is necessary. Can’t stop the muse, ya know!
Besides erotic rock star romances, Bella also writes about wild bikers, hot college men and more.
Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/bella.jeanisse
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/Bella.Jeanisse.Books
Facebook fan group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/866525666714069/
Facebook street team: https://www.facebook.com/groups/339160419575295/
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/BellaJeanisse
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BellaJeanisse
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6449103.Bella_Jeanisse
Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Bella-Jeanisse/e/B009J0QN6C
Website: http://bellajeanisse.com/
http://wtmowordsturnmeon.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TurnedOnByWords/
September 14, 2017
Didi Oviatt’s Amazon Books in a Nutshell #AwesomeAmazonAuthors Enter To Win $25 #giftcard
It’s time for another awesome writer peep to showcase her Instagram knowledge and give you another chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card! Easy peasy!
Source: Didi Oviatt’s Amazon Books in a Nutshell #AwesomeAmazonAuthors Enter To Win $25 #giftcard
September 13, 2017
#FOLLOWFIVE #AWESOMEAMAZONAUTHORS on #Instagram #GIVEAWAY
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Source: #FOLLOWFIVE #AWESOMEAMAZONAUTHORS on #Instagram #GIVEAWAY
How my Amazon ad campaign went ~ Part II ~ Product Display #WriterWednesday #AuthorMarketing #Marketing
Uh oh. It’s that time again. Time to talk about our least favorite thing as authors – marketing. *Cringes* Sorry, but it has to happen sometime. If you want to be successful as a self-published author, you need to do the marketing as well as the writing. A while back, I discussed how my sponsored product ad went on Amazon (you can read the article here)
I decided to do a product display ad for my romantic comedy, Fat Girl Begone! I’ve wanted to try a product display ad because I think they look pretty spiffy. (The sponsored product ad looks basically the same as when your book comes up in a search.) You can write your own copy with the product display ad. The number of characters is limited, so you’ll have to get inventive. Here’s what I came up with:
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I was embarassingly excited about doing this ad. I thought the copy looked good. And the reviews were looking good as well. What could go wrong? Well, the first issue is cost. You have to have a minimum budget of $100 for the ad. That’s a big budget for one ad in my limited experience. BUT you only pay when someone clicks on the ad. So, I swallowed my fear and continued.
The next issue I had was the start and end date. I don’t know if it has anything to do with me, but I was unable to chose my start date. Very frustrating! What I finally did was get the entire ad ready to go and hit save ‘save as draft’ instead of ‘submit campaign for review’. I waited until the day before my book went on sale to hit submit. Mistake. Big mistake. I’m used to Amazon accepting any changes in my books within a few hours. It took two days for Amazon to accept my ad. My sale was nearly done by then!
Finally, my ad was accepted. It took a while for the campaign to gain momentum. But how’d it do in the end? See for yourself:
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As you can see, there was a decent number of impressions (the number of times the ad is shown): 17,563. The problem is that only a small percentage of those actually click on the ad. In my case, a mere 1.5%. Egad! That’s depressing. And I’m not sure why that is. Is my book unattractive? Is the synopsis unappealing? Or are customers just immune to ads as our lives are overfilled with them?
The next step takes a bit of detective work, because you pay for the clicks whether the customer buys the book or not. This is indicated in the spend column. A click does not automatically translate to a sale, however. At $2.49 per copy, I receive a royalty of $0.87 per book (although my book was on sale at the start of the campaign, I’m ignoring that for simplistic sake. Also, it was only one day of the 90-day campaign.) According to Amazon, I earned an estimate $58.07 in royalties, which translates to 67 book purchases.
Breaking it down, I come up with the following. Of the 17,563 persons who saw my book, only 67 actually went ahead with a purchase. That’s less than half a percent. If that’s not depressing enough, Amazon includes the advertising cost of sales (ACoS), which indicates that I’ve spent 29% more on the ad than I earned.
To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure what to think about this. I often spend more on advertising than I actually earn in book sales. I keep at it because exposure, exposure, exposure. And, every once in a blue moon, I get another verified book review. So, will I do another Amazon product display ad? Probably. I may wait until I have more reviews and see how that compares.
Anyone else out there do a product display ad? How did it go? What are your thoughts?
Read an excerpt of Contracted Defense, new #romanticsuspense from @PiperJDrake #giveaway
Time is running out and the enemy is at the gate.
Out Sept 12th – Contracted Defense, a Safeguard novel, by Piper J Drake.
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Title: Contracted Defense
Author: Piper J. Drake
Series: A Safeguard Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: September 12, 2017
Publisher: Carina Press
Length: 70,000 Words
Format: Digital
ISBN: 9781459290518
Time is running out and the enemy is at the gate.
Adam Hicks may be the rookie at Safeguard, but he’s no novice in the field. Retired from active duty after multiple tours and back fresh from a brief rest in New Zealand, he’s itching to return to action. But the challenge he hoped for arrives in an unexpected form: his sexy yet stern new partner.
The last thing Victoria Ash wants is to work with the new guy—especially one as gorgeous as Adam. His relaxed attitude about their first “easy” assignment together—setting up a private home defense network for a reclusive client—doesn’t impress her. Easy usually means trouble. She’s proved right when Adam discovers that the multiple incursions on the physical and cyber security systems aren’t just glitches. They’re under attack…and there’s a traitor in their midst.
As tension mounts, so does the attraction between Victoria and Adam. They must protect their client and the research he’s desperately trying to keep secret. Working together, they have to find the mole before their defense measures, in the fortress and online, are compromised and the deadly secrets they’ve sworn to protect are revealed.
Grab a copy!
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~ Excerpt ~
She shrugged. “I prefer to carry myself in a professional manner. Impeccable. Respectable. Reliable.”
He frowned. As she’d spoken, her comments had cut inward. Far from positive, her words had turned bitter with remembered anger. There was the malaise he’d noticed about her. It’d come and gone throughout their working session. It was a dark, ugly cloud of thought eating her from the inside out. Consuming her and turning her attention deep inside, she wasn’t even aware of his proximity anymore.
Well, couldn’t have that.
He leaned in and kissed her.
He’d intended to be quick, startle her out of her thoughts. But as soon as their lips met, hers parted in a gasp and he couldn’t resist the invitation. He took her deeper, tasting.
She kissed back, drinking him in and leaning into him. Her hands gripped his waist in encouragement.
Just like that, he was on fire and she was living flame under him. He’d backed her up against the table until she was on her back. His hips fit between her legs, grinding until they both groaned with the friction. He gripped her ass until she lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. Her hands hooked behind his neck, pulling him in for hungry kisses.
A sharp, happy bark sounded outside.
Sucking in air, he straightened and pulled her up to stand with him. They stumbled back from each other. Each of them dragged their hands through their own hair in an attempt to straighten themselves up.
A minute later, there was a knock on the pool house door.
~ About Piper J. Drake ~
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Piper J. Drake is a bestselling author of romantic suspense and edgy contemporary romance, a frequent flyer, and day job road warrior. She is often distracted by dogs, cupcakes, and random shenanigans.
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~ Giveaway ~
Enter to win a Kindle or a digital copy of Hidden Impact or Deadly Testimony
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September 11, 2017
Night in Jerusalem, an exciting new #historicalromance from @GaelleLKennedy
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Title: NIGHT IN JERUSALEM
Author: Gaelle Lehrer Kennedy
Publisher: PKZ Inc.
Pages: 246
Genre: Historical Romance
Synopsis
A bewitching love story that is also an extraordinary portrait of Jerusalem, its faith, spirituality, identity, and kaleidoscope of clashing beliefs, Night in Jerusalem is a novel of mystery, beauty, historical insight, and sexual passion.
David Bennett is invited to Jerusalem in 1967 by his cousin who, to the alarm of his aristocratic British family, has embraced Judaism. He introduces David to his mentor, Reb Eli, a revered sage in the orthodox community. Despite his resistance to religious teaching, David becomes enthralled by the rabbi’s wisdom and compassionate presence. When David discloses a sexual problem, Reb Eli unwittingly sets off a chain of events that transforms his life and the life of the mysterious prostitute, Tamar, who, in a reprise of an ancient biblical story, leads both men to an astonishing realization. As passions rise, the Six Day War erupts, reshaping the lives of everyone caught up in it.
Grab a copy today!
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Excerpt
David lay awake thinking about Anat. He was intimidated by her sexuality, but also fascinated by her free spirit and daunting intelligence. He had never met anyone like her. He wondered if Jonathan and the others knew she preferred women lovers, and why she had confided in him. He became anxious, thinking perhaps she sensed he had sexual issues and was someone she could easily manipulate.
Earlier, out on the roof, he had asked her why she preferred women. She had answered simply, “For the same reasons you do,” then adding, “I find women more interesting intellectually, as well as sexually.”
Her directness was equal parts frightening and exciting. He wanted to know her better. Perhaps, with her, he could get over his sexual problem. The truth was, he desired her as much as he found her intimidating.
About the Author
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Gaelle Lehrer Kennedy worked as an actress and writer in film and television in the United States and Israel. Night in Jerusalem is her debut novel, which she has adapted to film. She lives in Ojai California with her husband and daughter.
She writes, “I lived in Israel in the 1960s, a naive twenty-year-old, hoping to find myself and my place in the world. The possibility of war was remote to me. I imagined the tensions in the region would somehow be resolved peacefully. Then, the Six Day War erupted and I experienced it firsthand in Jerusalem.
I have drawn Night in Jerusalem from my experiences during that time. The historical events portrayed in the novel are accurate. The characters are based on people I knew in the city. Like me, they were struggling to make sense of their lives, responding to inherited challenges they could not escape that shaped their destiny in ways they and the entire Middle East could not have imagined.
I have always been intrigued by the miraculous. How and where the soul’s journey leads and how it reveals its destiny. How two people who are destined, even under the threat of war and extinction, can find one another.
Israel’s Six Day War is not a fiction; neither was the miracle of its victory. What better time to discover love through intrigue, passion, and the miraculous.
Writing this story was in part reliving my history in Israel, in part a mystical adventure. I am grateful that so many who have read Night In Jerusalem have experienced this as well.”
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