An update on work in print

Good morning everyone,




I just thought I'd update here what's happening with getting my stories into print and they now are and are available for customers in paperback format as well as in e-book format.


I want to thank all readers who have read my work up to now and I hope you've enjoyed it. I'm busier than a frustrated horny nun in a cucumber field lately and will have a new book/story up and published every month for oh the next 20 years or so, depending on how long I live, so keep your eyes peeled on my author page on Amazon as all of my future work will be in e-book and paperback from now on. I'd love to get my work into hardback too so if any readers fancy a lovely hardback book of any of my stories, let me know and I'll put it up for sale in due course. Thanks.


It's been a fantastic week for me and I've never felt so proud in all my life that my work is finally in print.


Friends and family know that I'm a down-to-earth person and have my feet firmly on the ground but if I see my books in shops and supermarkets over the coming months, I'll probably hide in the fruit and veg aisles as I'm quite shy lol. I am but I'm also confident once I get chatting with people and I'll chat to people if they do approach me. None may though, they may just be looking at the price of a pack of bacon or weighing some bananas or something haha and not interested in reading about demented ghosts, assassins, sexual innuendo in a fictional salon, orgasms, knives or whether a character is chopping up neighbours.




http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008XZAT8W






Happy reading!

Second cover choice for They're Dancing With Danger (the sequel)...

R.e. my previous post...




I was thinking of using this book cover instead of the other one for the sequel of They're Dancing With Danger. I haven't decided yet, I will decide just before I click that publish button. Thoughts anyone? Which one do you prefer?


This one? Or the cover picture in my previous blog post? A friend commented that this one (below) seems more cluttered with too much detail and that the other image is better. What do you think readers and authors?  :-) Please feel free to comment as I'm interested in others' thoughts. Thanks.

UPDATE: I went with a completely different cover as you can see here lol.
http://www.amazon.com/Theyre-Dancing-Danger-thriller-novella/dp/1497440009/ref=la_B008XZAT8W_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395916157&sr=1-4
This one didn't come out right for some reason but I'm working on it. I could do the entire series of this story in hardback using this colourful cover featuring the three sports cars. I'll update in due course. Have a great day everyone.

Books into print

Hi everyone,


PRINT BOOKS


Just a quick update. The first of my books to be put into print in a few weeks time after Createspace/Amazon have sorted it is The Little Old Lady Who Lived Down The Road: a very graphic gory horror story. In one of my previous blog posts here I mentioned this and Createspace/Amazon have now given me approval and the go ahead to sort everything out, so it's looking great so hopefully, my work will start getting into bookshops, supermarkets and who knows where else. I'm very happy (and nervous) about this as it's a huge step for me and a milestone in my life. I'm quite shy you know (even though I talk a lot) lol.


I'm currently arranging over the next few days for all of my work to be put into print over the next few weeks or so, so I'll update here when I can as to what's what. Update (just now) five of my books are now being processed to be in print and distributed to shops, libraries and wherever else they'll be in about 6-8 weeks time. I've about three more to sort out then that's the lot (and any others I write this year onward will be put into print AND I'll have the e-book version alongside them too). Some readers prefer e-books, some prefer print versions (or both) so I'm making arrangements to cater for all readers as variety is the spice of life as the saying goes. :-)




E-BOOKS
I've decided to keep my shorter e-book stories at just 77p/0.99c as they are excellent value for money at ten thousand words, but my longer works (20 to 70 thousand words long) I feel being a higher price will let readers know they are longer and the price (very reasonable) will also will indicate the hard work I've put into creating them. We authors work hard to provide readers with enjoyable stories and we provide a service. Although I do give books away for free occasionally, I feel authors should be paid for their hard work also. We don't write to make money, we write because we're writers and love writing and entertaining readers worldwide, but being realistic, we also have to pay bills like doctors, dentists, vets and anyone else who provides a service and products.


Bills have to be paid so I have to be realistic. I did spend many hours writing them after all and I hope readers appreciate and value the hard work we authors put in.


And, as I've said in a previous blog post, when I'm earning enough, I will put a LOT of books online for free as way of thank-you to readers and because I won't need to charge for all of my books then.


I will be publishing new books each month and into the coming years, so readers will always have something to enjoy in lots of different genres as I write in several different ones now and am going to write in even more from this year onward.


So, onwards and upwards, it's a very busy week that I have starting from tomorrow but I'll update what's what here when I can.


Have a great week everyone!


Please feel free to join in here and comment or discuss matters as I'm always happy to hear from readers and other authors about books and also life too.


Introduce yourselves and let's chat and get to know each other.  :-)


A

Here's the brand-new cover of the sequel to THEY'RE DANCING WITH DANGER and ALL of my ebooks are now just 77p/$0.99

Hi everyone,


I've been very busy working on the sequel to They're Dancing With Danger and also, all of my shortest ebooks are now just 77p/$0.99. The longer ones (between 20 thousand and 70 thousand words) are a little higher in price but are still very reasonable.


Happy reading!


I'll be back soon, and the sequel will be up as soon as possible.


But for now, here's a look at the new cover...



If you've enjoyed the story, please feel free to leave a review - short or long - and to tell your friends about the book, much appreciated, thank you.


Have a great day.


A

Getting my stories into print...

Afternoon everyone,




I'm bringing Ethel to life in more ways than one! (that's a hint to a possible paranormal sequel if you've read the first one...oooo!)


I feel it's time now - as the quality of my writing is up to standard - to get my work into print so, I've just submitted my Little Old Lady Who Lived Down The Road extreme-horror novella to the fabulous Createspace folks for my story to be put into print. It's currently in the review process so I'll update here if and when I'm given the all-clear to go ahead with it in print or not (it's that gory it may be declined, I don't know yet).
Update: it's been approved and is in the process of being printed so I've ordered a copy for myself which I'll have in under two weeks time. I've never had my work put into print before or held my own books in my hands so I'm feeling very proud of myself and will probably cry when I see it (the soppy sap that I am).

;-) I'm so excited! All going well, this is a momentous day for me and one I'll never forget.


I'll be kindly sent a copy from Createspace/Amazon to hold in my hands and to check before I give the final ok. It's a story I created from my imagination and if it's allowed to be distributed all over the world in book shops and supermarkets (top shelf then lol) it'll be into readers hands afterwards. Fans of extreme, gory and gruesome horror will be able to put it on their bookshelf at home.


E-books are brilliant, but to hold a book in your hand too is wonderful (I love the smell and feel of them myself).


If all goes well, I'll then get ALL of my books into print as some readers prefer a print copy as opposed to an e-book version, so I've catered for both types of readers: those who prefer an e-book and those who prefer a paper-version. Audio books are next on my list of things to get up and running!


For this and every other print book I'm setting up and finalising, I've set the price at the lowest possible that is allowed by Createspace/Amazon so readers will get a bargain.




An exciting day for me! 


Take care and have a great day everyone,


x


A

Starting from tomorrow for five days...

Afternoon everyone,


I wrote this little article two years ago as I wanted to help and comfort people who may be experiencing similar circumstances what I went through and have overcome as I believe in giving something back to the world if I've found it valuable. I hope anyone finds the tips and advice useful. My quality of writing has improved a lot since then so I may re-write it this year and lengthen it if others find it a source of strength, comfort and help.


I've just used the free promotion feature on Amazon so it's up for five days from tomorrow - free. Enjoy!  :-) 


Please feel free to tell your family and friends about it and to leave a review if you wish. Thanks, very much appreciated.


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0091UERC2#reader_B0091UERC2


Take care everyone and have a fabulous weekend.


A

6 Steps to a Kindle Bestseller

Just a quick update and some useful information.

Afternoon everyone, I hope you're all having a great day.


Just a quick update on how the sequel/story 2 of They're Dancing With Danger is coming along: It'll definitely be published on the 17th (next week) as I don't want to rush it up by this Friday as I believe in editing and polishing a story as much as I can, so it's up next week and will be worth waiting for.


Mila - the main character in my crime-thriller story - seeks revenge upon a politician and his evil daughter, but there are some psychological twists and turns in this sequel that I thought of when writing certain chapters. So, expect the unexpected and surprises, and it won't be predictable (grins).


I learn as much as I can, when not writing, as reading and learning are just as important than creating stories so, this is what I've learnt over the past two years:


1. If you publish a book at least once a month, it gains more exposure on Amazon as it's highlighted in the 'last thirty days' section; providing extra visibility of your book (and the opportunity of your other books being noticed by readers more) rather than your other work sliding down the charts as there are approximately two million or more so e-books on there. Publishing a new story at least once a month guarantees that your book will be noticed more, creating additional opportunities for further sales. Readers want to read new books regularly, so if you publish one once a month (even if it's a couple of short-stories, novelettes or novellas which in my opinion are brilliant as not everyone wants to write novels) - you'll keep your readers interested. It's possible to write a novel in a month; I did it in fifteen days, but I couldn't keep that up forever and I'm a fast writer (100wpm).


2. Never give up. Ever! Persistence does pay off, eventually. How disappointed in yourself would you feel if you stopped writing? I can't stop as it's ingrained within me and has been so since a child. If I gave up writing I'd become extremely depressed and would feel 'lost' to be honest.


3. Write down any details, no matter how minute, that you remember from dreams. It sounds silly, but the smallest fragment of information can provide inspiration and great ideas for a storyline.


4. Add as many keywords (not the title of your book as that's already searchable) as you possibly can before hitting that publish button on Amazon, and place your book in relevant, accurate categories.


5. At the end of your story, leave details of your: blog, website, hints of future book releases and ones published previously (as not everyone reads the author page which feature all of your books).


6. Get sufficient rest and sleep as a tired mind makes more mistakes. Try to stick to a routine; go to bed at the same time and write at the same time the following day because if something's a habit it's much easier to follow rather than doing it haphazardly.
Also, ensure you're hydrated enough because if you're dehydrated, brain function can deteriorate and can affect your concentration and ability to write a quality story as some of the symptoms of dehydration are: tiredness and lethargy, irritability, more mistakes made, you won't enjoy writing as much and it's so easy to procrastinate and to put it off until another day, whereas if you've had a glass of water (or coffee, tea, juice etc) about an hour before your begin writing, you'll be surprised how much more alert and focused you feel and will be more inclined to want to write every day if you feel great!


7. Keep a notepad nearby as it makes life so much easier. The last thing you want is to accidentally forget a character's (or several characters) details and then you have to scroll up the page on your computer screen to search for it/them through thousands of words; which not only interrupts your flow and pisses you off, you can lose your train of thought regarding the other section of the story you were writing in.
Also, imagine if you published your book and then noticed the error later... oerr not good as you have to take the book back down, insert the missing info, publish it again and in the meantime, someone could notice it and leave a stinking review. I've seen some errors in print books and the well-known author's sentence had a few words missing, which surprised me. Granted, none of us are perfect, we all make mistakes, I do, but it's always good to aim not to so, do as much editing as you can so that this doesn't occur as the last thing you want are bad reviews. (Some people leave bad reviews anyway, for whatever reason(s) so don't worry about it too much as books still sell with bad reviews. Sometimes, it can increase sales as readers may want to see why the book has so many bad reviews and it could be a very well-written book.


8. Save your work every half an hour. Why? Because...imagine if you had a power cut and had written thousands of words, you're going to lose the lot if you don't save your work regularly. I save each of my books on the computer, on a flash drive, on a memory card and also on a different computer; just in case, as I wouldn't fancy losing 70 thousand words or more of a novel, after writing for weeks. Would you?


9. Don't get obsessed with checking the charts on Amazon every day (I used to and it drove me nuts almost). Check it about once a month as the hour or so spent checking the charts could have been used productively, to write. I've been known to wade through all 400 pages of thousands of books to find mine, only to discover that it hadn't gone live all over the world yet and my eyes didn't half play up lol. I don't do it anymore. Just look at the month-to-date sales report - it's faster and more satisfying and will tell you what ranking your book(s) have, without you spending time searching for ages.


10. Be original. Write your own story. We do anyway, but what I mean is if it's about vampires or serial killers or a robot or a romantic character, create something different; write the story from an angle that hasn't been considered before by anyone else; something unusual or quirky or well, just different. Stand out! Readers notice and they like that.


11. Take regular breaks; at least once an hour. Why? Because if you don't, your ass goes numb, your knee joints hurt, you'll get eye strain and it's good to get some exercise, even if it's just walking to the kitchen to make another coffee, or walk upstairs to do some housework, anything that'll keep your circulation and body healthier.


There's tons more, but that's it for today. I hope anyone found the above useful and helpful.


Take care and have a great day! I'm off to watch a riveting film on TV and to curl up on the sofa with a hot coffee as I've run out of vodka, so I can't celebrate selling several books in a few days! Bugger, don't you just hate it when that happens! Never mind, I'll get some more on the weekend. ;-)


A

Guess what I'm watching on TV right now...

The Shining is currently on 120/ITV4 if any British authors or readers are reading this (bites back of hand with glee and excitement).


Apparently, the book is somewhat different from the film (I won't say what as it'll ruin it for those among you who haven't seen it - where have you been, under a rock? It's one of the best films - ever! Check it out.), but boy does Jack Nicholson provide a mesmerising and increasingly scary performance as the minutes in the film tick by... He's one of my favourite actors.


I've got The Shining book - written by the fantastic Mr Stephen King - and I've got Misery (the book and on DVD too) and a few others of his genius works too.


So I'm delighted The Shining is on TV right now! I've seen it approximately 18 times and it just keeps getting better each time. Just an observation...have you noticed that when watching a film, a lot of times, that you see it from a different angle on each occasion? You notice little things you didn't previously.


Night night everyone, have a great day tomorrow. I'm busy working on the sequel to my crime thriller series this week and next and am happy that I've got three jars of coffee as it's going to be needed!


x


A

Things are looking up!

I have never written a crime thriller before. This new one has sold four copies in five days since I published it.


At this rate, (if it continues) when the other six in this series of They're Dancing With Danger are up (Amazon only allow seven in a series apparently), if the entire series pays enough to pay my bills on a monthly basis (approximately £800), every book I publish after that will be free on my personal website for readers to read there.


It's my way of giving something back to the world, out of gratitude, as I write to entertain people - not for money, - but bills have to be paid (as I mentioned in the previous post/blog).


So, if it all works out for me over the next few months, I'll reward my readers a lot this year onwards.


A huge thank-you in advance to anyone who downloads my current books, and enjoys them, because in the near future you can read a lot more for free, for years.


x


A

I hate money!

Don't you?


What I mean is that I wish everything were free and money were abolished.


Why? Because people could use a barter system: if you want your garden grass cut, you cook your neighbour a meal, if you want a car built, you build something for your friend/family member/neighbour. In an ideal world, if money were abolished, it would remove poverty, homelessness and many other things, I feel. But, as that's unlikely to happen in the future, money is here to stay. Unfortunately.


So, as I have a living to make and essential bills to pay, I have to charge for my books. I keep the cost down as low as I can for them while still being able to pay some bills.


After much thought, I've decided that when my book earnings reach the level where they're paying my bills and I can write full-time, every book I publish after that will be FREE on my own website. When I earn sufficient money to pay all of my bills on a monthly basis, THEN I will be putting all of my future books up for free as I don't write for money, but I have bills to pay. I work part-time in another job, but I would love nothing more than to write on a full-time basis as that's my purpose in this life I feel.


I have over 200 outlined stories to write and I am capable of typing 100wpm. I edit lots of times after reading through my own work, word by word, and I conduct several spell-checks also, so I strive to do my absolute best and will give my readers lots of free books when I am able to. But for now, I have to pay bills.


So yes, I hate money. And bills. And the government.


So yes, I wish money were abolished completely. Because it's a pain in the arse!


Does anyone else ever feel like this or is it just me?


Please feel free to comment below, thanks.



A

Some helpful advice for fellow authors that I've found encouraging, some random thoughts, oh and my new crime thriller is up!

 Morning folks!  Have a fabulous day.

Well, I've just let Mila loose and am working on the sequel (will write about ten to twenty in the series, I haven't' decided yet)...
Mila is a very sexy red-hot assassin: skilled in the use of weaponry, martial arts and so much more. She's bent on revenge against the corrupt politician and his daughter who almost ruined her life. Now it's her turn...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IOAP0NA


I've always been a worrier. It's a pain in the arse as it's just wasted energy. Well, lately, I've decided to stop it (which is difficult as I'm diagnosed with anxiety disorder by my doctor lol) and what I find helpful are aromatherapy fragrant candles, de-stressing techniques (like writing more which takes your mind off worrying) and well, I've just reduced my level of worrying as I've had enough quite frankly.
Well, lo and behold, I wrote a little novella in a week, and it's the only story I've written so far that has sold three copies in its first five days.
Note to self then: stop worrying. Because, when we do that, our mind is 100% focused on what we're actually writing and it isn't distracted by pointless thoughts about other matters of which 99% never occur.
So, what I'm wondering is, whether the story is doing well because I'm more relaxed mentally. Or is it just a coincidence. Maybe it's because I changed my writing style completely for this crime thriller story.
Who knows? It's good to be flexible and adaptable as an author and to change things now and again.
But if my new work continues selling like it is as I'm publishing a lot more over the coming weeks and months, I'll have a new thing to worry about - un-publishing all of my previous books and completely re-writing them as that's the thing with a perfectionist with OCD and an anxiety disorder, we keep trying to improve things and even then we're not content with it.
I wrote a sixty-thousand-word romance novel in 15 days recently, edited it to within an inch of its life, stayed up to ridiculous hours (which isn't healthy so I've stopped it), and then this crime thriller in about a week, I was so tired, I didn't have the energy to worry lol. So I may have discovered a cure for excessive worrying - bloody wear yourself out through writing! But as I said, it's not a healthy method and sooner or later you'll suffer burnout. It's better to write as much as you can daily, but within reasonable limits. Everyone is different, what works for me may not work for you.
I'm currently working on the crime thriller sequel and oh it's so hot, I almost melted a pair of knickers, and the black swivelly (is that a word?) computer chair when writing certain steamy scenes as the sexual chemistry between Mila the beautiful charismatic assassin and her new man built to fever-pitch!
It's a crime thriller, not a pure erotica story, so I'm having to tone it down a lot in the sex department, but boy oh boy are those scenes as explosive as her explosives she detonates to remove the bad guys...
In the sequel, (up either this Friday or Friday the 14th but I'll do my best to publish it this Friday the 7th) I'm delving more into what Mila experienced during her forced training to become an assassin, when Roxy Lou (the bitch of a daughter of Ralph, the politician Mila had a night of passion with before she realised who he was). I'll be describing the horrific and deeply moving feelings she endured - almost to breaking point - and how she gradually found within herself, a strength of character and an inner reserve of power she didn't know she had - until pushed to the brink of despair. That survival instinct within each of us, that mental power we each possess and can harness anytime we choose to.
I found, when writing certain scenes, echoes of myself in the past (not as an assassin lol, but what I've overcome in my life too: depression, despair, being shy and not very confident in my twenties, and much more) and I found it quite therapeutic exorcising my 'demons' when releasing a fictional character - Mila - from hers.
Writing is very stress-relieving, it rids us of worrying (works for me anyway) and also, it helps us to release the past, freeing us in all sorts of ways.
Thank you to whoever downloaded my new thriller. I appreciate it more than I can ever say as it means someone out there enjoys my work.
There's more on the way, a lot more.
I write because I'm a writer and I enjoy bringing characters and stories to life and nothing pleases me more than entertaining people worldwide, but when I engross myself when creating a story, I have absolutely nothing to worry about and life is great. Unless I've run out of coffee. Now that's something to worry about as a writer without a cup of coffee nearby, is like a Nun without her cucumber plot and enormous candle!
Watch this space for a brand-new crime thriller series that I'll be writing sometime this year, featuring a Nun who is a goody-two-shoes by day, but a vigilante by night; sorting out the bad guys who have confessed to terrible crimes, only to walk the streets freely out of the Polices' custody. But for now, I've a lot to write in this current crime thriller series - They're Dancing with Danger - and a few novellas and novels to publish in other genres (sequels to The Salon and Zombies From Cardiff... and one or two other stories).
P.s. the 60k word romance novel I wrote recently, I did it under the pen name of Rosemary Quill.
How's that for a challenge: there's no sex, violence or horror in it whatsoever - just pure romance. I thought I'd find it difficult as I adore writing about sex, violence and horror, but I was pleasantly surprised; I enjoyed writing it. I'll publish the sequel in the near future.
A very good psychic told me a few years ago that I'd find my niche' to write in. Maybe it's crime thrillers. We'll see. Another told me it was Sci-fi, a genre I haven't written in yet but will do so this year. Time will tell. They could be completely inaccurate and it could be westerns or children's books!
I would miss my horror though. I grew up watching all the fabulous Hammer films (loved Christopher Lee's Dracula character) and now I am age 49 I have Hellraiser and Saw films in my collection, oh and Header (Edward Lee is amazing, in my opinion) and also the Hostel films. I may bring back old Ethel Morris in a sequel to The Little Old Lady Who Lived Down The Road. In ghost form... ;-) I could even write a series of the Orgasms on a Knife Edge story. That's the advantage of self-publishing; you can alter things from a stand-alone story to a series.
We'll see.
It would mean a lot to me if you could tell your friends about my books, or maybe leave reviews if you've enjoyed my work. Thank you.
Have a great week everyone. I intended this post to be short, but we Sagittarians do ramble on (sorry).
Please feel free to subscribe to my blog posts. Much appreciated, thanks.
A