This has been a week. Still trying to sort out auto and home insurance. Still working on getting things arranged for my husband to retire and get ready for his surgery coming up in about a month.
So the well decided to run low on water.
Yes, we now have aerated water coming out of the tap, which is not a good thing. The question is, do we need to drill a new well or see if they can do something to fix this one?
But at least we have two new little kitties to keep us entertain. Names for now are Licorice and Spook, who are both black, as you may have guessed, and 4 months old. They moved in and took over. Miss Kitty, our long haired white kitty is annoyed. The Lugnut, our 1 year old puppy, is not sure about the whole affair. They’ve taken over his bed and the couch, so where is a dog to sleep? I’ll try to get some pictures later.
In the meantime, when I’m not stressed to the max, I’m editing on Old Flame. Yes, still. I know… I’ll cut it down as I go. And writing on Tiger’s Tempest.
And as for wizards…
Check out Master of the Fleet, by Sultonna Nadine. I could use someone around here who could control wind and water…
So what are you reading?
Drop me a line with suggestions.
Or go over to Amazon or Smashwordsand check out what I have to offer!
In the meantime, have fun. Enjoy the nice weather, if you’re here in the Southeast.
Or then again, maybe not. This is Georgia we’re talking about.
Let me explain. About a week ago, I built a fire in the living room to take off the chill. A few days before that, it had been up near 80F outside, so I had no firewood in. We all thought we were finished with the heat for the year. Just in case, I brought a little more wood up.
And then it turned warm. All right, not warm. HOT!
Three days ago we had two days of 80 degree weather again. Ir had rained, so outdoors was like a sauna. I turned on the AC not so much to cool down the house as to draw the humidity out of the air. Same thing the next day.
Yesterday the high was 63 with drizzle all day. Today may reach 70. I don’t know yet. But the humidity is once again terrible.
In the meantime, I’ve been doing some writing and some reading.
If you like murder mysteries, check out the Widow’s Island novellas. (I’ve been binge reading.)
On the home front, I’ve been writing an article about Gambler’s Folly and working on Tiger’s Tempest. My editor is working on Ben of Blackstone’s Forge.
Tiger’s Tempest?
Think Tiger shifters meeting on Gambler’s Folly. She’s a forensic photographer. He is president of the security division for his families pharmaceutical corporation and working with Interpol on counterfeit drugs. They hadn’t intended to get married when he offered to play tour guide for her skiing and photography trip to Crystal Mountains. It just sort of…well, happened.
And Ben of Blackstone’s Forge?
Ben’s family has a way with iron, which makes their trade as blacksmiths considerably easier. He’d always thought he and Deborah would marry, but when he left the village to finish his apprenticeship, something happened. Now she will scarcely speak to them. Both his father and hers are rather strongly suggesting they each need to find a partner, but the only woman he wants as his wife is Deborah. And because of what happened while Ben was away, Deborah has decided she will never marry. Until their fathers get together and come up with a solution.
Wish me luck. With this crazy weather and the hectic schedule I’ve had lately, I’ll need all the help I can get.
After yesterday’s all day and all night rain, today is beautiful outside. Makes me wish I didn’t have so much to do inside, but the Lugnut and I can take a walk in a little while.
Still working away on Tiger’s Tempest in the Gambler’s Folly series. I have nearly 18,000 words down so far and, at the moment, a pretty good idea of where we’re going. Of course, with my characters, the route could change drastically. They are a headstrong bunch. But that’s what I get for writing about alpha male shifters I suppose.
If you could be a shifter, what would you be?
I always thought I would love to be a black leopard. They look so elegant, even if they do seem to have only two attitudes–calm, cool, and collected, or totally pissed off.
So far in my books, including those published and unpublished, I have leopards, panthers, wolves, bears, and now tigers.
What else would you like to see?
From Esperance, the next one in line is Ben of Blackstone’s Forge. As you might have guessed, Ben is a blacksmith. What makes him different is his family’s Talent for shaping iron.
No… That’s enough of a hint. You’ll have to read the book for the rest. But how about a tiny excerpt?
****
Excerpt:
If anyplace could be consider as hot as hell, it was a blacksmith’s forge in midsummer, Ben thought, as he strode to the well. Icy water filled his mug with a cheerful splash, after a couple quick strokes on the pump handle.
The first mugful went down in three healthy gulps. Pulling the folded kerchief from around his head, he rinsed the salt-encrusted cloth in another cold stream of water from the well.
The second mug of water brought a quick gasp as he poured it over his head, but it was refreshing after several hours of heating and hammering steel in the forge, where he worked with his father. Water flew in a circle of droplets as he shook the excess from his wavy brown hair, leaving it spiked in all directions.
Once more he filled the mug. Leaning his tall frame against the pump, he slowly sipped the cool liquid as his dreamy blue eyes scanned the street around the forge.
“Good morning, Ben,” he heard from a familiar voice.
Turning toward the voice, he raised his mug and gave a brief nod to the pretty young woman walking toward him. With her light brown, nearly blond hair, and warm brown eyes, she was a sight to give a man dreams.
“Don’t I rate more than a nod, Ben Blackstone?” she demanded. “You could at least smile.”
“Hardly seems worth the effort, Deborah, when all it will gain me is a snide remark or a new chastisement for some imagined affront.”
“You are the most irritating man I know,” she told him as he took another pull from the mug.
He had no response for her accusation and continued to enjoy the water before he had to go back into the hell known as Blackstone’s Forge. He loved the work, but summers could be downright miserable.
Deborah was still glaring at him, hands on her hips, head tipped to the side, and eyes flashing in anger.
“Did you need something, Deb, or are you just here to annoy me?”
“My name is Deborah, not Deb, and absolutely not Debbie. And yes, I do need something. I’ve got better things to do than make a special trip to annoy you.”
*****
Need something to fill the time until Ben of Blackstone’s Forge is published?
I normally write about what I’m writing or publishing. But today I thought I’d do something different.
People often ask if I read the same genre as I write. And sometimes I do.
But I also love a good mystery. Sometimes that mystery is a paranormal cozy mystery. Other times it’s a murder mystery. And I may, one day, attempt to write a mystery.
So what have I been reading?
First on the list is the On Pointe Mystery series by Lori Robbins. If you like your mystery set back stage or on the dance studio floor, then you should like On Pointe books. After finding a body, our MC, Ballerina Leah Siderova, is accused of the murder. Determined to solve the crime and clear her name, she dives right into the thick of things.
The action is exciting, with a dash of humor and a whole lot of ballet.
MC Nora Ashcroft, was a chef when she died. But instead of the afterlife she expected, she found herself in Eastwind, a magical town with residents of all kind. And by all kinds, I mean werewolves, fairies, witches, and the grim reaper–who is totally misunderstood.
Looking for a straight up historical murder mystery?
Check out the Inspector Ravenscroft Mysteries. The inspector has the worst record on the force, so he’s banished to Malvern to lick his wounds. But murder and death seem to follow him even that far from London. Set in Victorian England, this series is captivating.
But on to things more romantic.
If you like short romantic reads, check out Wedding Nights by Lexi Miles. Each wedding night is unique.Maybe the bride skipped out minutes before the wedding and took off with a biker. Or maybe the groom has a wicked sense of humor. All the stories are spicy, but won’t keep you up all night reading. Well, unless you start the next story…
So there you are. This is where I’ve been on my virtual vacations.
Where have you gone?
If you like paranormal fantasy romance, check out my other pages for links, descriptions, and excerpts. All titles available on both Amazon and Smashwords.
And remember all the Esperancebooks are on sale with the coupon at Smashwords. The coupon is on each book’s page.
I mean, why is it so difficult to get people to review your book?
As an author, you get notified that you’ve sold a book, or several books. And you wait. And wait some more. But the reviews never come. Even if the one or two reviews you’ve manage to obtain are top rated reviews.
Why review?
It isn’t to give the author a good feeling about their book, even though that’s great.
When it comes to selling on Amazon and getting their help to promote your book, they go by the number of reviews you’ve received. It doesn’t matter whether they are one star reviews or five star. They only look at how many reviews you have.
Until you have at least 25 reviews for your book, you really don’t get recommended at all. After 25 reviews, your book starts showing up in the recommendations. You’ll see it in the “customers who liked this also liked…” area when you buy a book in a similar genre.
After 50 reviews, an author really starts gettine promoted on Amazon.
But until then, you’re pretty much sunk.
So, why is it difficult to get people to review a book? It isn’t hard to do. Takes maybe two minutes. But that two minutes meas a lot to an author, especially an indie author struggling to get a book into the public eye.
So, please, if you read a book, stop by Amazon and review it. It means so very much to those of us putting all that blood, sweat, and tears into writing them.
If you’re looking for something to read, check out my Mellie’s Romance page.
Yeah, I’m not a happy camper this week. About a week ago, I tripped in a parking lot and fractured my right patella. After an after noon in ER, they decided I just needed to wear a brace until I could see an orthopedic specialist. So a few days later, I got in to see the doctor,, who told me much the same thing. Keep a brace on when I’m up and walking around. Take pain killers as needed. See me in two weeks for more x-rays.
It’ll be about 8–10 weeks healing time.
In the meantime, it is taking me forever to get things done. My daily walks are not a thing until I can walk properly again. And sitting at my desk is somewhat less than comfortable. Go figure, right?
So I haven’t done much writing this past week, though I have been reading through the next book for Gambler’s Folly to mark it up for editing. I do this on my Kindle Fire, so I can read without sitting at my desk. I’ve found I can highlight areas I want to work with and then take the Fire in to my desk and go through it there.
Much easier on the knee that way.
So what will be the next book for Gambler’s Folly?
Old Flame, which will be Book 4.
What’s it about?
They met at university thirty years ago. Though they were friends, they never really dated each other. Since then, Kort has had two failed marriages and become a multibillionair, considered the most eligible bachelor on several worlds. Elizabeth married and has recently become widowed.
Her kids bought her a ticket to visit them out west, and then surprised her with a vacation package to Gambler’s Folly. At the hotel her first night, waiting to fly to the spaceport for the shuttle flight, she runs into her old friend from university, also going to Gambler’s Folly.
And then the fun begins.
Still in editing, this will be a little while yet before it’s ready to publish, but I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, how about an excerpt?
EXCERPT
It was only a short drive to the hotel from the spaceport. Word must have gone ahead that Kort would be in town, so as soon as he stepped out of the limo cameras were flashing.
When she stepped out of the limo, there were questions from all sides.
“No, Liz is an old friend I met before I got on the shuttle. Since we were both staying here at the Stella d’Oro, I offered her a lift. I may convince her to have dinner with me later, but that’s all. We’re simply friends from our university days.”
“Is Liz short for Elizabeth?” someone called.
“Yes,” he answered.
“What about it, Liz? Any designs on Mr. Behrens?” someone else asked.
Feeling in a mood, she answered, “Who says I’d have him?”
She had expected a laugh or two, but got stunned silence before the questions began again.
“Now, you’ve heard it from the lady in question. Like I said, we’re simply friends who met again recently after several years. We’re catching up on old times. Don’t imply anything else, please.”
When they’d finally made it in the door and out of sight of the reporters, Kort turned to her with a laugh and gave her a big hug.
“Who says I’d have him? That was brilliant, Liz. It’ll keep them going for days.”
“I have no idea why I said that. It just slipped out. Are we likely to have a following everywhere we go?” she asked.
“For a day or two, until they get the idea I’m telling the truth. Unless you change you mind and decide you’ll have me instead?”
“Don’t press your luck.”
Wish me luck with the knee, and I’ll try to keep you posted on what I’m up to down here in the Southeast.
Does anyone else have trouble believing the summer is almost gone? Here we are in August already. Where has the time gone?
I’ve been working on a couple WIPs. One for each of my series. They’re going well, though I’m not sure where we’ll all end up. My characters tend to have ideas of their own and take off without informing me beforehand. So I try to keep and sort it out to a happy ending. Trevor and Theresa, on Gambler’s Folly, are no exception.
Do you prefer e-books or paperback?
My personal preference is for paperbacks, but these days they can cost quite a bit. And if we’re traveling, I can take a whole library with me in e-book form. But there’s something about the feel of the pages in a physical book, the smell of the ink, or the scent from an old book which has seen a lot of the world.
What is the oldest book you own?
I have a book I bought when I was in high school at a Goodwill store. It was priced at twenty-five cents and I loved it. It has travelled with me for years and about once a year, I retrieve it from the bookcase and read it one more time.
Copyrighted in 1909 by Arthur Hornblow, By Right of Conquest is a turn of the century romance. While it is pretty tame for today’s readers, it nonetheless gives us an insight into the written word as it was over 100 years ago, as well as life in society at the time.
So share your books with me in the comments below.
While I doubt any of my books will last as long as By Right of Conquest, I have fun writing and sharing them with you.
Check them out at Amazon, Smashwords, or any major bookseller. The first two books from the Esperance series are available from Audible as well.
Some people prefer to listen rather than read, and this makes sense in this busy world. I like to read when I’m home, but if I have a long drive, I’ll put in an audio book to help pass the time.
Did you know two of my Esperance books are on Audible? That’s right! Jarerth, First Lord and Viviane, First Lady are both available as audio books!
Not ready for anything that long?
I also do podcasts of my blog here over at Anchor! So if you want to catch the news from this writer’s life, but don’t have the time to sit and read, catch the podcast!
It makes a lot of difference to authors like me, who sell on Amazon. It is difficult to get noticed out there and reviews help. How often have you seen a product or book listed on Amazon and decided not to look at it because it had few or no reviews?
There is also the promotion factor. Unless an author has a certain number of reviews for their book, Amazon does very little to promote it. It won’t show up in suggestions for readers or in any promotional events. You’re on your own without reviews.
If you don’t review, why not? It takes only a few minutes to say whether or not you liked the book or what you liked about it. It may take less time than getting through the drive through during lunch hour and it costs you nothing.
But it will help out that new author whose book you tried the other day. The one you couldn’t put down.
Many of the ebooks over at Smashwords will be discounted, some will be free! So if you’ve been wanting to try a particular author’s writing, now’sthe time!
I will have all of my books discounted during the week of March 1 – March 7 for the sale, including The Russian! All of the books from Esperance and Gambler’s Folly will be on sale, as will Master of the Fleet by Sultonna Nadine!
So go on over to Smashwords, March 1, 2020, and see what is on offer. You never know. You could find your next favorite author!
I’ll send out a reminder, in case your forget what day it is, like some of us have been known to do…
