Kelly R. Michaels's Blog, page 5

Points of Interest

Let's do some catching up on updates:
Archer of the Lake is now available through Google Play and iBooks.  (See Archer's page for links!)I have started a Q&A discussion thread for Archer on Goodreads! Check it out!I have created a Wattpad account (listed on the sidebar too)! I've added the first 2 chapters to read for free! AND I am working on Character Information sheets.
Now, onto Prince:
We are currently standing at 86,000+ words!I plan on posting the prologue and first chapter to Wattpad!Expect a summer-ish release date!
In other, RL news: From juggling six classes, I've also purchased a new car! Say hello to Winifred!

(I know, I try to keep writerly things and other things separate.  But this is exciting news for me!)
Future Plans:

Finally hammer out a title for the sequelPossibly another short book? (no set promises!)FINISH the sequel!Design cover for Prince!
So, that's all very exciting!  Keep close watch for any new and upcoming updates!  I will try to blog more (but I'd rather blog when I have something substantive to say, rather than just a few updates). 
Also, if you've read Archer, please feel free to write a review on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, and other platforms!

'Tis the Season!

With the holidays upon us, I have knocked down the price of Archer of the Lake from $2.99 to $0.99!

And also! I wasn't aware of this, but Archer is available from Barnes & Noble on paperback for $9.12 (which is ten cents cheaper than the Amazon listed price).  And also, noticing that I was no longer enrolled in the KDP Select program, I went ahead and began publishing Archer for Nook eBook! I will post the link once it is ready!

Popping In

Hello all!  I've been rather quiet on this end of things as of late.  I don't have much to report other than I've been working busily away on Prince.  I have just started a would-be Chapter 15 (out of a prospective 20 - 22 chapters) and I am at around 70,000 words!  I was hoping to have it completed it by the end of the year, and while I am not sure if I will reach that deadline, I shouldn't miss it by much!

Meanwhile I have been otherwise occupying my time preparing for the end of the school semester, catching up on The Walking Dead, purchasing more books to read (and will probably sit, unread, on my book shelf), and facing the holidays.

I also purchased a new laptop (and I have Microsoft Office on it!) so I hoping that with my new equipment, I can more easily progress through writing.  Erstwhile, I am grappling with major life decisions involving career choices and schooling and the like.

But I shall keep on, writing!

Features

I forgot to mention when Archer was reviewed by Rosie Amber and subsequently my interview.

So here are the links:
Rosie's Review of Archer of the Lake
My Interview with Rosie

In other news, during the free promotion of Archer, lasting until September 5th, my books was also featured recently on FreeEbooksDaily.com.  Here is the link to Archer's post.

I also submitted some answers to them, concerning more details on Archer of the Lake.  I will post that link here once it is live!

Thank you everyone for your support!
-krm

Free Promotion

Hey, everyone! With school on the rise and textbook costs rising, money becomes awful scarce, ultimately limiting your funds to purchase books you would read for enjoyment.

Well, I'm just popping in to let you know that "Archer of the Lake" will be FREE for Amazon Kindle from September 1st - September 5th!  Mark your calendars! And don't forget, this deal will only last for five days!

You don't need a Kindle o eReader device to read it, either! If you have a smart phone, you can download the Kindle app for FREE and read "Archer of the Lake" and other great books that way!  And if you don't have a smart phone, you can just open up the book to read on your computer!  It's so simple, so why would you say "no" to a FREE BOOK?

You wouldn't, that's why.

More updates to follow.  "Prince" is about halfway through! ;-)

Many Words

I've made a word cloud for Archer!  (If you're not familiar with word clouds, the large the word, the more often it is used!)

In Other News...

The paperback for Archer is available for purchase for under $10!  (Normal list price is $10.99!)
Click the link, buy and read! And don't forget to review it!

Also!  I've opened up a store on Etsy called Little Owl's Book Shop!  There's not much to show right now, but be on the watch for various eReader editions and signed paperbacks of my books!  I've included a small blurb on the side bar of this blog for the store!  Check it out!

And that's about it for any new news.  The sequel is coming along steadily, and I'm entertaining nebulous thoughts of hosting an anthology.

A Month Later

I've intended to make a fully concerted effort to blog more, considering I've just released a book.  Actually today marks the first month that Archer's been released.  If I'm being honest, I've tried waiting until I have more information to blog about.  So far, I don't have much.  I need to try to do some promotional things.

The paperback still isn't available.  I'm sorry to everyone who's been waiting for it and I'm grateful for your patience thus far.  I've been having problems with the proofing--not the actual proofing process.  I've just been discovering problems with my file once it's been through file review.  Specifically, I'm having issues with the drop-cap for the beginning of each chapter.  But I'm hoping to have these problems resolved soon, and then the paperback shall be ready.

In other, good news:  Within the month of its release, I have sold 24 copies of Archer for Kindle (plus 1 borrowed unit for an Amazon prime member).  Two of these books were sold to people in the UK and another one to someone in Canada.  And with that, I've claimed proper bragging rights, boasting about how I'm now an "international" author.

I have two 5-star reviews on my book's Amazon page, plus one 4-star review.  For it's first month, I certainly do not think these are bad stats. I'm excited and alternating between work on the sequel and prepping the paperback.  The sequel, tentatively titled "Prince of the West", is about a quarter of the way finished. 23,000+ words out of an estimated 100,000 words.

I'm scheduled for a book review and author interview over at Rosie Amber's blog starting July 7th, so be sure to watch out for me there!

The local newspaper did a feature on me and my book, it details some minimal biographical information.  Click here to check that out.

Meanwhile, I have very many future books racking my brain.  I've been catching up on my reading after feverishly writing for two and a half years. I read The Fault in Our Stars and watched its movie.  I'm catching up on Game of Thrones.  I've done little to rein in my book-hoarding habit and have purchased a conservative estimate of twenty books within the last month.  Currently I'm reading through a nonfiction book about pirates, which may or may not allude to a future sequel of Archer.

And on the off-chance I haven't bored or annoyed you yet, you should totally check out my book, available for purchase on Kindle.  (Side Note: I'm not sure if I'm going to take part in KDP Select on the next book go-around)

And, that's about it!  Hopefully soon I will have more to discuss!

-krm

To Inspire

I work in a deli, and it involves a lot of nasty, deplorable work. The corporation alone (which shall remain nameless) can suck the living soul from your walking cadaver.  My particular department makes the day even more maddening. Food service, customer service, and retail wrapped into a nice, miserable package.

The other night, I waited on a customer.  It was an older gentleman who frequents the deli at least once a week, if not more.  I recognized his face from previous encounters and had no grievances with him.  This particular encounter, I was unabashedly agitated with the manner he used to get my attention (clucking one's tongue is not an acceptable way to announce your presence, for future reference).

But me and my spirit, which has not been entirely worn down for inexplicable reasons, forced that cheek-aching smile as I patiently took his rather gruff order.  The transaction was made and the foodstuff was handed over.

Then the man shifted his weight to his other foot. Another customer, a woman had wandered in line behind him.  But no, apparently my previous tardiness would not go unpunished.  This man had something on his mind and he was going to share it with me, solicited or no.

He started, "You know I used to work back *there*, about ten years ago now."

I nodded with polite interest, unsure if he meant my department specifically or if he meant the store in general.

He continued, "Yep.  Then I had foot surgery and my doctor told me I couldn't be on my feet all day.  Then [Store Manager's Name] told me that they didn't have jobs available for someone to sit around all day.  So I left.  Quit.  That was ten years ago.  I've written eight books since then, six of which are published.  You can buy them on Amazon and other stores."

This actually surprised me.  I was excited.  HERE was a fellow author in my small, rural community.  What a miraculous godsend for me to receive this anecdotal lecture.  Of all the people in the store, this man has shared his story with a fellow writer.  And, not just any author, from the sound of it.  If I'm not wrong, I believe this was a self-published author, judging from context clues.

A genuine smile came to my face while I pointed to myself.  "I wrote a book too and I published it on Amazon about a month ago as well!" I informed him excitedly.

There was a perceptible change in his behavior and countenance, and not for the better I'm afraid.  There was a definable moment when this man's bravado had completely vanished. He might have even physically stumbled back, eyes widening at me.  Clearly he had not expected my response.  Somehow my answer wounded his pride.

He quickly composed himself, regaining his self control, and proceeded as if I had not said a single word to him. "Yes well, I have published six books after leaving here ten years ago.  Best damn decision in my whole life."

And with that, his story over, this man quite literally turned on his heel and marched off.  I was left stung.  This man, who was allowed to gloat of his accomplishments to me, could not even share in the joy of a fellow writer.  He could only gloss over my accomplishments as he validated and appraised his own.

I reflected on the encounter some time after he had left, that night when I was lying in bed.  The next morning, and even until now.  Ignoring his manner completely, I can be genuinely happy at the success of another writer.  I am.  He did not detail to me of his sales and revenue, if he even made enough to earn a substantial living.  His concern primarily rested in the number of works he had completed.  I can respect that.

And I can draw from his experience as inspiration to my own.  Some ten years ago, this man worked in the same or similar conditions as I do now.  He made an effort to do something that makes him happy and he succeeded, unshackling himself from a societal structure that can only ensure depression and discontent.  And it was the "best damn decision" in his entire life.

Perhaps this is a sign for me.  Perhaps there is indeed hope for me.  And how I would love to quit every educational and vocational responsibility I am currently obligated to complete and attend right now to write full time.  Oh the books I could write and the happiness I could achieve.

But since I have only sold 24 books in a 32 day period, some would still insist that this was folly.
Perhaps, some day.
-krm

A Month Later

I've intended to make a fully concerted effort to blog more, considering I've just released a book.  Actually today marks the first month that Archer's been released.  If I'm being honest, I've tried waiting until I have more information to blog about.  So far, I don't have much.  I need to try to do some promotional things.

The paperback still isn't available.  I'm sorry to everyone who's been waiting for it and I'm grateful for your patience thus far.  I've been having problems with the proofing--not the actual proofing process.  I've just been discovering problems with my file once it's been through file review.  Specifically, I'm having issues with the drop-cap for the beginning of each chapter.  But I'm hoping to have these problems resolved soon, and then the paperback shall be ready.

In other, good news:  Within the month of its release, I have sold 24 copies of Archer for Kindle (plus 1 borrowed unit for an Amazon prime member).  Two of these books were sold to people in the UK and another one to someone in Canada.  And with that, I've claimed proper bragging rights, boasting about how I'm now an "international" author.

I have two 5-star reviews on my book's Amazon page, plus one 4-star review.  For it's first month, I certainly do not think these are bad stats. I'm excited and alternating between work on the sequel and prepping the paperback.  The sequel, tentatively titled "Prince of the West", is about a quarter of the way finished. 23,000+ words out of an estimated 100,000 words.

I'm scheduled for a book review and author interview over at Rosie Amber's blog starting July 7th, so be sure to watch out for me there!

The local newspaper did a feature on me and my book, it details some minimal biographical information.  Click here to check that out.

Meanwhile, I have very many future books racking my brain.  I've been catching up on my reading after feverishly writing for two and a half years. I read The Fault in Our Stars and watched its movie.  I'm catching up on Game of Thrones.  I've done little to rein in my book-hoarding habit and have purchased a conservative estimate of twenty books within the last month.  Currently I'm reading through a nonfiction book about pirates, which may or may not allude to a future sequel of Archer.

And on the off-chance I haven't bored or annoyed you yet, you should totally check out my book, available for purchase on Kindle.  (Side Note: I'm not sure if I'm going to take part in KDP Select on the next book go-around)

And, that's about it!  Hopefully soon I will have more to discuss!
-krm

Two and a Half Years

Two and a Half Years.

That's how long it has taken me to write, edit, rewrite, re-edit, and publish this book.  But it's finally out there.  It's finally available for purchase.  And it is finally being read by paying customers.

I am happy to announce that Archer of the Lake is -finally- available for Kindle.

I've also contacted my cover artist for the paperback now that I have an accurate page count.  The interior is ready, and soon the paperback will be available for purchase.  I'll post links to that once it's ready.

But for now, why don't you hop on over and buy my book?  I am confident it will not disappoint.  I am confident that it is pretty damn good now.

Also, once you finish reading, why not leave a review on Amazon?  And while you are at it, leave a review at Goodreads, too!


Click here to purchase Archer of the Lake for Amazon's Kindle!