Dale’s Comments (group member since Sep 15, 2017)

Dale’s comments from the Navigating Indieworld Discussing All Things Indie group.

Got a question. How much can one expect to pay for professional book design and typesetting services? By "professional" I mean a service that will deliver a quality product on a par with what one would see from a major publisher.

My wife Kathleen has been handling not only editing but also design and layout for me for years, but her health has declined and she is no longer able to do it. I could probably learn it myself, given time, but I'm not sure I have the time, and I discovered we lost the InDesign files for my earlier books. They need some changes, and I'd have to start from scratch, unfortunately.

Thank you.

Thanks, Sam and Valerie!

My short story "The Foretelling" placed 3rd in my first-round section of the NYC Midnight Short Story Contest. The top 5 authors in each section advance to round 2. My section in round 1 was assigned to write a fantasy featuring an intelligence test and a toy maker. We had 5 days to do so and a 2,500 word limit.

For round 2, the time limit drops to 3 days and the word limit to 2,000. Round 2 will be far more competitive. The top writers from there will advance to round 3 in May, and those top writers to round 4 in June where the contest winners will be determined.

I'll post my round 2 results when they are available next month.

Now on sale for $1.99 in ebook through the end of February. (FYI, Amazon has discounted the paperback to just $4.60 as of today; normally it's $9.95. I don't know how long that will last, so don't wait!)

Tales of mirth, imagination, and mayhem.

Nothing is quite what it seems in this realm. Partners cross each other, intentionally or otherwise. Late-night visitors appear from nowhere and linger long after they're gone. Mountain lakes, forests, and caves harbor secrets best not revealed. And every day, curious encounters change lives.

In this eclectic gathering of thirty-one short tales, including award-winning flash fiction and longer stories, you'll encounter crimes gone wrong, one-way journeys to other worlds, and ordinary people entangled with extraordinary circumstance. Some will chill you, some will get you thinking, and some will have you laughing out loud.

Because in The Realm of Tiny Giants, something unexpected is always just around the bend.

If you do pick up a copy, please leave an honest review. Short story collections can be a hard sell, and so far I haven't received any organic reviews. You can read an editorial review at https://jampackedbookshelf.wordpress.....

Theodore wrote: "You should have had him do Ice on the Bay...good background and experience, there! LOL"

LOL. I actually did, although the original (not very good) covers for HCM 1 - 3 were done by my wife and myself. I hired him to create new covers for the series a couple of years ago, and have used him for all my books since then.

Theodore wrote: "Very professional cover, Dale."

Thank you! I've been working with this cover artist for a couple of years now. He does great work for a good price. I recently found out he's in Siberia, which is probably why his prices are so good...

Yeah, that's probably my favorite HCM cover so far.

Howard County Mystery #4, A Day For Bones is coming! Here's the cover:



The description will follow soon. My Story Corner newsletter readers get to see it first. Subscribe (https://www.daleelehman.com/free-eboo...) to jump to the head of the line!

Sam (Rescue Dog Mom, Writer, Hugger) wrote: "Congratulations, Dale! Wishing you many sales and much success! Hugs!"

Thank you!

In anticipation of my fourth Howard County Mystery, A Day For Bones (anticipated release late Spring 2022), my first three Howard County Mysteries are on sale for $0.99 each from today through February 17th. That's only one week, so don't wait or you'll miss it!

Howard County, Maryland Detective Lieutenant Rick Peller receives a series of notes announcing murder. The killer is using the Fibonacci sequence (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8...) in his crimes, and the only thing Peller knows for sure is that the series never ends.

"A genuine page turner from beginning to end..." ~Midwest Book Review

A bungled robbery unveils an auto theft ring that may have a connection to the death of Detective Lieutenant Rick Peller's wife four years before in an unsolved hit-and-run.

"...fabulous, clean murder mysteries that have me hanging on [Lehman's] every word." ~ Christian Bookaholic

A missing person. A string of arsons. A murder in the depths of a record cold winter. As Detective Lieutenant Rick Peller's team works the crimes, connections begin to emerge, pointing to a cold-hearted killer.

"Once again the strong, fully developed main characters are here and forming a very solid basis for not one case but three! By now I am hooked..." ~ Jennie Reads

Last year, I rolled out my first writing course, Start Writing, Keep Writing. Delivered over a week as a series of emails, it helps you establish and maintain a writing habit. This course is available for free. (Keep reading to find out how you can receive it.)

Now I've released my second course, Build Your Story. This course focuses on story structure to help you create stories that hook readers, reel them in, and keep them reading right through to "The End." It's available for purchase. (Again, keep reading to find out how to get it.)

Both courses focus tightly on their subjects and are rich in useful content, with no fluff or filler. They also give you practical experience through homework assignments tied to the lessons you're learning. In Start Writing, Keep Writing, you'll actually establish a writing habit that fits your circumstances. In Build Your Story, you'll plan/write a story using principles of solid story structure. These courses are great for novice writers, but they can be a valuable review for more experienced writers, too.

Now, you don't know me from Adam, so to earn your trust, I'm giving away Start Writing, Keep Writing for free. I do that in conjunction with my weekly newsletter for writers, Writing Corner. More about that below. The short version is, to get Start Writing, Keep Writing, visit https://www.daleelehman.com/free-eboo... and fill out the sign-up form. Make sure you select Writing Corner. (You can also subscribe to Story Corner, my newsletter for readers, and get more freebies.)

Why would you want to subscribe? Because Writing Corner supplements my courses. Each week, it brings you writing principles and techniques, publishing tips, and lessons learned from my own writing and publishing experience, all for free. And hey, if you decide it's not for you, you can always unsubscribe. Start Writing, Keep Writing is yours. No obligation.

Once you've sampled the free stuff and want to get Build Your Story--or if you just want to jump in--you can purchase it from my website at https://www.daleelehman.com/product/b.... The cost is $14.95, which is less than you'd pay for many other courses of similar duration.

Thank you for your interest. Again, get Start Writing, Keep Writing for free when you sign up for Writing Corner at https://www.daleelehman.com/free-eboo..., and purchase Build Your Story at https://www.daleelehman.com/product/b.... I look forward to serving you!

--Dale E. Lehman

Yep, I've been mentioning it. For one thing, I have it on my website. (See https://www.daleelehman.com/books-and... you'll have to scroll down a little to find it.)

I'm not sure who's still following this thread, so I may stop posting here, although I will continue to post periodic stories on Medium.com.

My latest from The Writing Cooperative: "Experience + Editor = Good Writing." (https://writingcooperative.com/experi...)

Anna wrote: "Didn't this book win an award?"

It did, although it's a minor award. It won the first annual Golden Shrimpy from Diabolic Shrimp.

Those weasels are up to something...

Between them, Bernard and Melody Earls have looks, charm, brains . . . everything but money. That's why they steal from the rich and give to themselves. So when Alexander Hamilton Plaskett hires them to nick a silver statuette of a pine marten from his brother Paul Revere Plaskett, they're happy to oblige. But it won't be as easy as it looks. For one thing, the little beast is guarded by Fitzroy Fortresses, the best security system money can buy. For another, the five Plaskett siblings are obnoxious buffoons. Still, a job is a job, and this one may offer more than it appears.

At least, that's Bernard's theory. The pine marten isn't particularly valuable, so why do the Plasketts contest its ownership so fiercely? To find out, he and Melody insinuate themselves into the Plasketts' world and enlist a college geek to hack the unhackable Fitzroy system. Failure means poverty. Discovery means prison. And the biggest obstacle to Bernard's brilliant schemes? Melody's penchant for running off-script!

Weasel Words is on sale now through February 3rd, $2.99 for ebook editions. Use this universal book link to pick your favorite bookseller: https://storyoriginapp.com/universalb...

My next story based on a prompt at the Art Institute of Chicago's website: "Stick Men." (https://medium.com/lit-up/stick-men-6...)

Anna wrote: "I tried to leave a comment but it wouldn't connect. It might be my fault..."

Well, at least you tried!

Author Rita Lee Chapman has interviewed me on her website: https://ritaleechapman.blogspot.com/

Episode 17 has just been posted. It should be available by Friday, 1/7/2022 if not sooner. Have a look! https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/s...

I'm going to try "promo stacking" on a monthly basis. This month, I'll be running 3 back-to-back promos for Weasel Words using BargainBooksy, Fussy Librarian, and LitNuts. I'll be cycling through my books, one each month.

I will also be releasing Howard County Mystery #4, A Day For Bones, probably around March or April. I'll work up something for the series around that time.