Lorraine Reguly's Blog, page 10

Tell Me (by Lisa Jackson): #awesome #bookreview

 

Back in June of this year (2014), famed author Lisa Jackson sent me a an autographed copy of one of her novels, Tell Me.

Why did she do this?

It’s simple. She did this as a response to my offer to authors.

Thanks to social media, I had connected with Lisa Jackson on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads this past year. I interacted with her several times.

I have to admit, Lisa Jackson is one of my top 3 favourite authors – ever – and when she and I had a conversation (shown in How I got an autographed copy of Tell Me), I was thrilled.

About Tell Me

Tell Me is the third book in the “Savannah Series,” with The Night Before and The Morning After being the other two novels, respectively, that comprise this series.

Another cover for Tell Me was created for sellers outside of North America, too:

My Book Review of Tell Me

The following is my five-star book review of Tell Me, which I posted to both Amazon and Goodreads:

Reporter Nikki Gillette has a hunger for being amidst the action and a thirst for the truth. On her quest to learn the true circumstances surrounding the questionable shooting of her childhood friend, Amity O’Henry, Nikki sets out on a dangerous path to find the killer. With no help from her finacé, Detective Pierce Reed, who is assigned to review case files from twenty years ago (when Amity’s mother, Blondell, was convicted of murdering her pregnant daughter), Nikki uses her own sleuthing skills to uncover the secrets that have been hidden for so long.

During her quest, she interviews Amity’s siblings, Niall and Blythe. Niall has recanted his old testimony, in an attempt to free Blondell, now claiming he was coerced as a child and asserting that he did NOT see the person wielding the gun. Blythe, who was injured during the attack on Amity, has been wheelchair-bound, offers little help to Nikki, forcing her to dig even deeper into the past.

However, key players in the case from so long ago are unavailable. The detective who coerced Niall has passed away, and the lawyer assigned to the case, Nikki’s uncle, now lives in a nursing home, suffering from dementia as a result of having Alzheimer’s disease. To compound matters further, someone is spying on Nikki and Reed! Nikki also has a stalker!

As Nikki unravels the mystery, she is forced to deal with her upcoming nuptials, make many decisions, and face a killer as well as demons from her past. Throughout it all, she attempts to interview Blondell, and delves into the lives of the men from Blondell’s past.

Several interviews, told from two different points of view, can be found scattered throughout the novel, adding to the suspense of what Nikki learns. While I don’t want to spoil things, I can tell you that you will be more than pleasantly surprised when you come to the ending of this masterfully-crafted novel.

One of the things I like about reading Lisa Jackson’s books is the way she incorporates certain elements relevant to the era in which we live. The ever-changing methods of communication and technology are used by her characters and are embraced by Jackson, proving to her faithful fans that she’s staying current, and illustrating to new readers that she has a contemporary style of writing.

I especially like that Tell Me can be read as both a stand-alone novel AND as part of a series, even if the series is read out of order!

Tell Me ends by evoking a gratifying and satisfying feeling and, as always, Jackson leaves me wanting more.

Teasers to her next-to-be-released works are included, too, to try and appease the reader, but they only serve to whet the reader’s appetite!

No wonder Lisa Jackson is often referred to as the “master of suspense.”

Tell Me is, without a doubt, a must-read for suspense and mystery lovers, and I’d highly recommend reading it.

 

Other Reviews of Tell Me

The following list contains other reviews of Tell Me:

one from Mysterious Reviews
one from Kirkus Reviews
one from Clay Stafford
one from Jill Dennison’s blog

Tell Me: Book Blurb

The most hated woman in Savannah, Georgia, is about to be set free. Twenty years ago, Blondell O’Henry was convicted of murdering her eldest daughter and wounding her two other children. The prosecution argued that beautiful, selfish Blondell wanted to be rid of them to be with her lover.

Now Blondell’s son, Niall, has recanted his testimony and demolished the case in the process. Reporter Nikki Gillette is determined to get the true story, and not just for professional reasons. Blondell’s murdered daughter, Amity, was Nikki’s childhood friend. The night she died, Amity begged Nikki to meet with her, insisting she had a secret to tell, but Nikki didn’t go. Her guilt is compounded by other complications–Nikki’s favorite uncle, Alexander, was the attorney who helped save Blondell from execution. And rumors swirl that he was one of her many lovers.

Nikki’s fiancé, Detective Pierce Reed, is concerned she may be compromising the case. As she digs for answers during one of the most sweltering summers in Savannah’s history, he also worries for her safety. Everyone involved seems to have secrets, from Blondell’s old boyfriend and his fundamentalist, snake-handling in-laws to the cop who led the original investigation. And somehow, the events of that tragic night connect to Nikki’s own fractured family. But now the killing has begun again. Is Amity’s murderer still at large, or is this a new, darker danger? Soon Nikki will discover what really happened twenty years ago, but the answers may come too late to save her life. . .

[Note that this book blurb appears on Lisa Jackson's site and on Goodreads.]
About Lisa Jackson

Susan Lisa Jackson was born and raised in the United States, and lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and pug.

She is known worldwide as Lisa Jackson, and has written over 85 books. There are over 20 million copies of Lisa Jackson’s books in print in twenty languages. Some novels are stand-alones, but many are part of a series (see a list of the many series’ she has written here).

Lisa Jackson is also a grandmother and an author who is now embracing social media. She’s a huge animal-lover, too, and supports many worthy causes.

You can connect with her on Twitter or Facebook, find her books on Goodreads, buy them at your favourite outlet (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, Google Books), read excerpts from books of your choosing, and even enter a contest!

And don’t forget to check out the next books to be released by Lisa Jackson!

YOUR TURN:

Have you ever read one of Lisa Jackson’s novels? Do you like her writing? Why or why not?

Would you read this book now, based on my review? Tell me, please.

 

The post Tell Me (by Lisa Jackson): #awesome #bookreview appeared first on Laying It Out There.

My Writing Process + Donna’s New #Paranormal #books

 

I’ve been asked by a fellow blogger-author, Vashti Quiroz-Vega, to answer a few questions about my writing process.

Since this is a form of a blog hop, I’ll be asking a few other writers I know to participate, too.

And, yeah, there are a few rules…

The ABCs (aka the “RULES”) of this blog hop:

A. Introduce who referred the blog tour to you.

B. Answer the following 4 questions:

What am I working on?
How does my work differ from others in its genre?
Why do I write what I do?
How does my writing process work?

C. Introduce the people you’re passing this on to who will then post a week later.

Note: The ABCs (the rules) can be copied and pasted into each participants post. 

Introduction

Vashti Quiroz-Vega is the author of The Basement, a book for tweens. She lives in Florida, is working on a fantasy series, and loves animals and photography. She’s also a helpful person (much like myself!), since she took the time to write a post just for me about how to insert an mp3 into a blog post. (I don’t know everything!) She’s also going to be featuring me on her blog soon!

My Answers to the Questions

1- What am I working on?

I am currently working on Letters to Julian. Julian is my son. It’s scheduled to be released in December 2014.

2- How does my work differ from others in its genre?

Honestly, I’m not sure, since I am still working on this book!

3- Why do I write what I do?

I write what my heart tells me to write. It’s that simple.  Sometimes I find writing to be therapeutic.

4- How does my writing process work?

As I mentioned in my other blog hop post,

When writing anything, I am a bit of an editorial perfectionist, as I generally don’t make typos. After something is written, I will go back to it and edit it, checking that proper grammar and punctuation are used. At a later time, I re-read each chapter and ensure that continuity is evident and the writing is error-free.

I also tend to write in spurts. I am not the type of person who works on my book every day. First of all, I simply don’t have the time for that! Secondly, and more importantly, I do write when I feel the need. Some people refer to this as “when the muse strikes.”

My Special Nominees

Authors I’d like to carry on this blog hop are:

Donna Jean McDunn - Donna is a paranormal author and a loving grandmother. I read and reviewed her book, Nightmares, as well as interviewed her, quite a while ago, when we did a book giveaway. (Read my review below.) Apparently, Donna’s been quite busy – her second book is out, and she has a third one planned. They are all part of the series. Read her post THE NIGHTMARES SERIES and More to learn more about her books! (FYI, she is not a self-published author, if that matters to anyone…)

Here is the review of Nightmares that I posted to Goodreads:

“Nightmares” is a well-crafted suspenseful tale that encompasees psychic visions, murderous intents, love, betrayal and acceptance within a captivating storyline. By third chapter, you’ll be hooked, drawn in by the author to the dilemmas faced by a teenage girl – a young woman – who has a special “gift” of both seeing and hearing things. You’ll join her on her journey of discovery and acceptance while she and her boyfriend match wits with a killer and frequently find themselves in precarious situations. The plot twist will both surprise and satisfy you and leave you wanting more. That is how it was for me – a very good read, indeed!

Catherine Green - Catherine is also a paranormal author, but she writes paranormal romance and dark fantasy, which includes vampires, werewolves and witches. I confess that I have not read any of her books (yet), and she is someone with whom I’m only starting to develop a relationship. She is known as Spooky Mrs. Green, too! Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of Catherine, but you can see one on her website.

Christy Birmingham – Christy already participated in a blog hop at the beginning of July 2014, but she’s so awesome that I thought I’d nominate her other blog, When Women Inspire, to continue this hop. Christy is a true inspiration herself. She’s not only a freelance writer and poet, but a survivor of abuse and the author of PathWays to Illumination. Her smile, like many of her poems, lights up the room, and she is definitely talented. She’s also going to be featured in the FITS Series (Freelancer In The Spotlight) on Wording Well!

And don’t forget about my offer to get some free editing from me! (One way to get your name entered into the “well” is to leave a comment on any post published during the month of September! Read this post for additional ways to enter!)

 

Your Turn:

What are you currently working on?

Would you like to be a part of this blog hop?

What is your writing process like?

Share your answers to any (or all) of these questions in the comments, please!

image source

The post My Writing Process + Donna’s New #Paranormal #books appeared first on Laying It Out There.

Analysis of the Cover for Risky Issues

Thanks to Thomas McGee’s article Is Your Book Cover Design Stopping You From Being On The Bestseller List? on Write to Done, I came across a site that will analyze your book cover for you. The site is his, and it’s called Writely Designed.

I decided to have my cover analyzed . . . just for fun.

I was pleasantly surprised and pleased with the results, too, and today I will share them with you.

Who does Book Cover Grading?

Writely Designed does book cover grading. The best thing is that it’s done for free, too!

All you have to do is enter your URL of your cover (usually accessed via a link that says “contents uploads”) and enter your email so that they can send you the results when the analysis is complete.

How Does It Work?

It’s simple. The grader analyzes the book cover based upon design, marketability, and creativity.

Under each of these categories falls several more aspects.

This is the breakdown – with my scores noted beside each:

Design: 87%

Readability 99%

Balance 82%

Execution 80%

Mood 85%

 

Marketability: 83%

Communication 80%

Targeting 75%

Titling 90%

Sell-ability 85%

 

Creativity: 83%

Memorability 85%

Uniqueness 82%

Emotion 83%

Wow-ability 80%

 

How Does Risky Issues Measure Up?

The cover of Risky Issues scored a B. This sounds horrible (it’s not an “A”) but it is actually a very good score.

 

You can see the full results of my cover if you want to.

 

I”m sure my cover designer, Colleen Conger, of Digital Photo and Design, will be happy to hear these results!

 

Don’t forget to buy your copy of RISKY ISSUES from Amazon OR Google Play/Google Books today (if you haven’t done so already! It’s gotten great reviews!

 

The post Analysis of the Cover for Risky Issues appeared first on Laying It Out There.

CreateSpace and Taxation Information

There is no doubt about it. Self-publishing is a lot of work.

One of the reasons people publish books is to make money. Companies make money from your books, too.

Of course, we all have to pay taxes, but I don’t think we should let companies take more taxes than needed.

Do you? I thought not!

In this article, I will explain the process and reasoning for using CreateSpace to print your self-published book.

Specifically, I will give you some information about CreateSpace and taxation information. I will also explain a few things that you need to know if you are a Canadian, as there are certain laws that Canadians must follow if they become self-published authors.

While the information may not apply to every self-published author in this in world, this article will open your eyes to potential things you may need to do in your country.

Why Use CreateSpace? Answer: Because of “Legal Deposit”

After I found out that I need to  submit a copy of my newly published book, Risky Issues, to the Library and Archives Canada as part of the Legal Deposit process, I decided to use CreateSpace (an American company) to print my book. I will readily admit that I didn’t look into any Canadian POD (Print on Demand) companies, since CreateSpace came highly recommended. To use CreateSpace to print my book, I first needed to create an account, and then upload the book files, which consist of the both the inner and the exterior of the book. To do this, I had to hire someone to create a file for me to use as the cover, because I’m graphically challenged. In true indie fashion, Melissa Bowersock suggested I use Brenda, her cover designer. (When Melissa speaks, I listen! She’s been in this biz for about 30 years, and is an award-winning author who has been through it all.)

CreateSpace and Taxation Information

When I attempted to fill out my tax information on CreateSpace, this article about tax information opened.

It sets forth information for both US publishers and non-US publishers.

Here’s one thing it says about Tax Withholding:

If you provide CreateSpace with your valid tax identity information, tax withholding will not be deducted from your royalties. If the tax identity you provide us does not match IRS records, you may be subject to U.S. tax withholding of up to 30%.

Tax Information

According to the information page for ITINs on the IRS website:

What is an ITIN? An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is a tax processing number issued by the Internal Revenue Service. It is a nine-digit number that always begins with the number 9 and has a range of 70-88 in the fourth and fifth digit. Effective April 12, 2011, the range was extended to include 900-70-0000 through 999-88-9999, 900-90-0000 through 999-92-9999 and 900-94-0000 through 999-99-9999. IRS issues ITINs to individuals who are required to have a U.S. taxpayer identification number but who do not have, and are not eligible to obtain a Social Security Number (SSN) from the Social Security Administration (SSA). ITINs are issued regardless of immigration status because both resident and nonresident aliens may have a U.S. filing or reporting requirement under the Internal Revenue Code. Individuals must have a filing requirement and file a valid federal income tax return to receive an ITIN, unless they meet an exception.

Taxation Steps to follow to Use CreateSpace:

1. To apply for an ITIN, print a copy of Form 7, fill it out using these instructions and submit it to the IRS (via snail mail). Wait for approval, then proceed to Step 2. Note that the application process may take up to 8 weeks and requires that you submit certain documents to verify your identity.

2. Print a copy of Form W-8BEN, fill it out using these instructions, and submit it to CreateSpace. (For the most recent edition of the form, visit this page of the IRS website.)

If you have trouble, you might need to contact them internationally.

Of course, if you have received a message from Amazon directing you to send them IRS form W-8BEN with an affidavit of unchanged status, please print it, sign it, and send it to CreateSpace, using the address:

CreateSpace

c/o AP Tax

PO Box 80683 Seattle, WA

98108-0683

Tax Treaties and Royalties

Because CreateSpace will also sell your book to others, it’s a company worth using.

However, to ensure that you will earn the most money from your book, indie authors – regardless of what country they live in – need to be aware that you can earn more if a tax treaty exists between your country and the United States.

I had to find out if a tax treaty existed between Canada and the US. It does.

I then had to find out what it said.

Information about royalties can be found in Article XII of With Respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital, in the Convention Between Canada and the United States of America.

Similar information can be found in Article XVII: Withholding of Taxes in Respect of Independent Personal Services of  the UNITED STATES – CANADA INCOME TAX CONVENTION.

I also had to find out if I needed a SSN (Social Security Number), and referred to Social Security Numbers For Noncitizens to find out, which I accessed via the Noncitizens link on the Social Security website.

It was here that I finally found the IRS toll-free number, 1-800-TAXFORM (1-800-829-3676). Here is some other taxation information I found using this link via CreateSpace:

Tax Reporting Your U.S. source income will be reported annually on IRS Form 1042S. The form is issued on, or before, March 15 each year and is an informational statement of your royalties and any amounts withheld during the prior tax year. For example, royalties paid to you from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013 will be reported on Form 1042S, issued in March 2014. You may be responsible for paying taxes in your own country.

A Final Note

Now that you know about CreateSpace and are equipped with some taxation information, are you going to apply for a reduced tax withholding rate? I sure hope so! Yes, I know firsthand what a pain in the butt all this work is! But one day, it’ll all be worth it…

My Book

My book, Risky Issues, is currently being sold  on Amazon and Google Play/Google Books.  I suspect it will be available in a couple of months from CreateSpace.

The post CreateSpace and Taxation Information appeared first on Laying It Out There.

Steps I Took To Self-Publish My Book

I set my mind toward self-publishing a book of short stories. I attained this goal on July 1, 2014.

 Today I’m going to share the steps I followed with you, so that you may do the same. I will warn you, though: there is a lot of work involved to self-publishing and being an author in today’s world involves more than simply writing!

Doing things in the correct order is important.

Once I found out about self-publishing, here are the steps that I took (note that this is an excerpt from the post in which I was interviewed):

*asked my blog readers if they would like to read some short stories (“Yes, bring them on!”)
*bought Word 2013 for my laptop
*typed in my short stories
*found beta readers (including you)
*edited my stories using their feedback
*sought guidance from Sue and Joel Caulfield about where and how to publish my book
*kept doing my research and read a ton of blog posts about self-publishing until I was convinced it was something I’d like to try
*tried to get a cover created – and went through a few designers
*finally found one to create one for a reasonable fee
*applied for an ISBN (free for me, because I live in Canada and am Canadian)
*tried to format my manuscript for Amazon
*sought help in an indie author Facebook group
*received formatting assistance from Rich Meyer, who put the finishing touches on it
*uploaded it to Amazon
*realized there was one tiny error, tried to fix it and did, then uploaded a new file
*wondered if I needed a new ISBN number because it was a new file (YES)
*added my poem to the ebook in such a way that I didn’t have to mess around with more formatting
*obtained a new ISBN for it, added it to the file, and then uploaded it to Amazon for the third and final time

I also added it to Goodreads and have plans to add it to Smashwords once it’s formatted for them (the formatting is different there).

To help motivate YOU with your book, you may want to use one of my secrets to kick-starting your writing success!
(They’re FREE.)


Oh yeah, one last thing. Buy your copy of RISKY ISSUES from Amazon OR Google Play/Google Books today - if you haven’t already!

The post Steps I Took To Self-Publish My Book appeared first on Laying It Out There.

Demystifying Amazon Rankings (+ Sharing Some Book Promo Strategies I’m Using)

 

What does it mean to be #1 on Amazon? What if you are ranked as #113,490? Is that good or bad?

Today I’m going to demystify Amazon rankings for you as well as inform you of some of my book promotional strategies I’m using… even though I’m supposed to be on vacation.

Although I’ve stepped back from most of my freelancing duties for a few weeks, I’ve been working my butt off writing guest posts and trying to do some marketing for my book.

I’ve sort of been tracking how well my ebook, Risky Issues, is doing on Amazon, too.

Amazon Rankings

The other day I checked when I checked, as you can see in the picture above, my book was doing well (or so I thought). Two days later, it was listed as #326,355.  Ouch.

I don’t understand Amazon rankings.

When I checked the rankings on July 26, 2014, it was listed as  #401,131.

When I checked the rankings two days later, it was at #504,504. Nope, you’re not seeing double (well, yeah, in a way, you are), you are seeing just fine.

 

So how does a book go from #504,504 to #113,490 in one week?

Your guess is as good as mine. I have no idea. I can only assume that people are buying it!

What the research about Sales Rank says

I admit I was curious about how the sales ranking happens. Without getting too technical, I’d have to say that I found this (from a 5-year-old article):

Amazon sales rank is basically a popularity contest, in which each purchase of a book constitutes a vote for it. It is not an absolute measure of sales quantity, but only a relative measure of where one book stands among all others sold on Amazon. Approximate correlations of average Amazon sales rank to U.S. sales can be found in Morris Rosenthal’s Amazon sales rank analysis. But these are rough figures only and subject to changes over time and season.

Amazon sales rank for all books is now updated once each hour, and all at once. At that time, a book jumps to a higher sales rank (a lower number) for the sale of any new or used copy. With no new sale, the sales rank will drift lower (to a higher number) as books that have sold copies push it down. If a book has no sales rank at all, that means no one has ever bought it!

The time of hourly updating is fairly regular but changes over time and also varies according to your geographical location. For instance, at the Sales Rank Express control center in Washington state, it was found one day to occur regularly at about a quarter after the hour. On the same day, at the Foner Books offices in Massachusetts, it was found to occur on the hour. And on another day here in Washington, it started out at quarter to the hour, then switched later to a quarter after.

The jump in Amazon sales rank that results from a sale will probably not occur at the next hourly update. Tests in May 2007 showed a typical time lag at Amazon.com of around two to three hours between the sale and the jump in sales rank.

Occasionally, Amazon’s system may become “stuck,” so that sales rank does not advance after a sale. You may see sales ranks remain completely static for long periods, or see most of them drift slowly downward. Just wait a while, and Amazon will fix it.

Novel Rank

I then learned a bit about Novel Rank. There is a free tracker I used to determine that my book has not yet been sold in some of Amazon’s stores. Geez. There’s so many people in this world who are missing out on a great book!

Demystifying Rankings

Unfortunately, even though the numbers of my ranking “moved,” the bad news is that ONLY ONE SALE can make the numbers move dramatically. Ugh. Being an author just gets better and better… (yes, that is sarcasm).

Because I’m not going to re-invent the wheel, I’ll simply point you to another article that will explain through example how little these numbers really mean.

I’m one for tunnel vision. It’s a bad habit I have. However, now that I’ve learned that these numbers don’t mean much (they don’t, really, in the overall scheme of things), I can focus on what’s important: getting more eyes on my book.

My “Bloggy” Promotional Tactics: Free and Paid Promotions

I’ve decided I’m going to pay for some promotion. I don’t yet know when or where this will all happen. When I know, you’ll know.

My plan for some free promotion basically involved asking others who’ve I’m helped promote on my other site (Wording Well) to help promote me. I sent emails out to a few people, asking them to:

*review my book

*host my on their blog

*interview me

*scream from the rooftops about how everyone needs to buy my book

 

What I’ve accomplished already

I’ve been interviewed already by an award-winning author, and shared the steps I’ve followed to get published.

I’ve had a guest post featured on Indies Unlimited: The Good and the Bad of Being a First-Time Self-Published Author.

I’ve had a memoir coach/author teach others about fictionalized truths using my ebook as an example of how to do this, since my bonus story is a true story, but the other stories in my book are fiction. In Laura Hedgecock’s post, When to Use Fiction to Tell True Stories, she explains how the pain from writing the truth about your experiences shouldn’t stop you from writing, and uses my book, Risky Issues, to illustrate her points. I’d strongly urge you to view the “Note from the Author” using the LOOK INSIDE feature so that you may fully appreciate the value of this post.

I’ve gotten a 5-star review from Jo Ann Plante, and another from Chris Graham.

I’ve gotten a 4-star review from Nikita Soni, and another from Raani York.

I’ve gotten a 3-star review from someone I sought out specifically to review my book. Anna both blogged her review and posted it to Amazon.

 

Promos and Guest Appearances that are Coming Up

I’m going to be featured on Chris The Story Reading Ape’s blog on August 18th (a Monday) and on Jamie Miller’s blog on the August 22nd (a Friday).  Yes, these are already set in stone.

I’m going to be featured on Yvonne Hertzberger’s blog, Jamie Miller’s blog, Raani York’s blog, and Christy Birmingham’s (fairly new) blog: When Women Inspire.

I’m also going to be doing a book review/promo tour… I think… which I will have to pay for. In fact, I might even do two, using two different “companies” (sites).

In the meantime, I’m going to be using CreateSpace to print my book, which will enable me to promote my book in other ways (including holding book signings and getting my book into schools and libraries) but I’m having some problems with getting this done due to some taxation issues, which I’ll be blogging about in the near future.

If you want to be sure to NOT MISS  THIS VITAL INFORMATION, I’d like to urge you to sign up for my author newsletter NOW, before you forget!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post Demystifying Amazon Rankings (+ Sharing Some Book Promo Strategies I’m Using) appeared first on Laying It Out There.

My 3-Minute Self-Publishing Discovery High

 

My 3-minute self-publishing high was a big thrill for me! Even though it lasted only a few minutes, my status in my Amazon dashboard had changed from “published” to “live” and when I noticed this, I clicked on a few of them.

 

 

 

…and here is a blown-up shot of all the links (all of the links enlarged):

 

I then checked out some of these links, and felt ecstatic to see that my book was shown on sites that were in a different language…

but then…

I remembered that there are over 32.8 MILLION books vying for attention, and my 3-minute high turned back into a low…

So here’s where you come in…

I need your help.

Can you share this site and my posts on your social networks? I know I don’t stand a chance of beating out 32.8 million books, but maybe… just maybe… I might be able to reach 32 or 33 people… or even 3 or 4. And that’s 3 or 4 more than I am reaching now.

Can you help???

 

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Risky Issues is Now On Google Play!

I spent some time yesterday going through some Indies Unlimited tutorials on how to get set up with Google Play and Google Books.

The two posts I used to help me were Navigating Google Play and Uploading Your Book to the Google Play Store.

I was finally successful, and my efforts were not for naught, as Risky Issues is now on Google Play!

 

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My First Interview!

I’m pleased to say that my mentor, Melissa Bowersock (who informed me about self-publishing in a tell-all interview) has interviewed me!

I also joined two new places online:

Find me on Shelfari.
Find me on Librarything.

Oh, and now you can buy Risky Issues  – in the USA , in  Australia, in the United Kingdom, and in other countries, too.

Psst… Don’t forget to write a review!

The post My First Interview! appeared first on Laying It Out There.

What the Stories in Risky Issues are About

Risky Issues is actually a collection of short stories that I wrote when  I was about 21 years old. (I’m 42 now. Shh. Don’t tell anyone!)

After I began blogging in 2013, I asked some of my blog readers if they liked short stories.

I was told to “Bring them on!”

After typing them from my old, handwritten papers into my brand-new computer, I wondered if I could assemble them into a book of short stories.

I chose the best ones for this collection.

I then had a few issues of my own regarding creating the cover. I had two designers create these ones, and then tried to create one of my own. Ultimately, I paid someone to design the cover you see here now, using my limited budget. I was the one who created the stick figure, though!

What the Stories in Risky Issues are About

The stories in Risky Issues bring to light many issues faced by children, teenagers, and even adults. 

The first story, The Secrets of the Study, is about a girl who enters her father’s study to get some blank printer paper but instead finds papers that reveal she is adopted. To compound things, her father catches her…

The second story, Pamela in the Park, is about a teenage girl who is out past curfew and is supposed to meet a temperamental drug dealer in the park to give him back some drugs she was holding for him. He doesn’t show up, but a policeman does…

The third story, The Day Adam Saw Red, is about sexual abuse. Adam, a victim, gives a speech to his class about this topic, and then goes outside to sit under an oak tree to ponder his dire situation, as his speech was a masked cry for help. He is befriended by the school custodian, who is thought to be “creepy,” but who takes the time to speak to him to help solve his problem…

In the final story, My Best Friend, a young girl finds out that her Grandma’s dog died. She thinks of Snoopy as her own, and is devastated…

BUY Risky Issues from Amazon or Google Play to find out what happens next!

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