Monday, November 28, 2011

Support Four Debut Authors and Snag $125!

12:01 AM    3 comments

Support Four Debut Authors and Snag $125!
Four books
Two Days
Great Prizes
With this contest, there is something for everyone and it’s SO simple to be in on the winning!
On November 28 and/or 29, purchase 1 or all 4 of the debut author’s books listed here. Then forward proof of purchase (the receipt Amazon sends you will do just fine) to : motionsrider@yahoo.ca and get up to 4 entries into a draw for a $100 Amazon gift card!
It’s that easy, no reviews, no hoops to jump through. Just a great .99 book or two. Or three or four. AND, if the person who wins the $100 Amazon Gift Card has purchased all 4 books, an additional $25 Amazon Gift Card will be awarded to the winner!
On top of that, 2 random commenter’s picked from 2 of our participating blogs will receive $5 gift Amazon gift cards . So, be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think of the promo, the books, or the authors.
Winners will be chosen randomly, one entry per person, per book.
All winners will be announced on December 7th on Wringing Out Words (http://shannonmayer.blogspot.com)
“Between” by Cyndi Tefft 
It just figures that the love of Lindsey Water's life isn't alive at all, but the grim reaper, complete with a dimpled smile, and Scottish accent.

After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has all but given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entry through the pearly gates.

Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven's siren song, Lindsey must learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries.
“Until Dawn: Last Light” by Jennifer Simas  
When darkness falls, whose side will you be on?

For the past six years, Zoë has been anything but “normal.” Struggling to accept her immortality and thrown into a war that’s been waging in the shadows for over a thousand years, Zoë must now become who she was meant to be, joining the other Chosen to save what’s left of humanity. When the endless night falls over the Earth, will she be able to save the one man who reminds her of what it is to be human, or will it be too late?

Until Dawn: Last Light is a story of death and despair, love and longing, hope and hopelessness, and the ability to survive and keep going even when it seems impossible – when you want nothing more than to give up.

“The Kayson Cycle” by Jonathan D. Allen
A stranger enters a dying town and makes a desperate plea…

The Kayson Cycle introduces the Kayson Brothers, a pair of faith healers who once wowed crowds in a traveling show but went their separate ways after a night in which a healing took a dark turn. Jeffrey Kayson disappeared into the wilderness and William Kayson, wracked by guilt, moved to the failing mining town of Calico Hills to build a nice, quiet life – one that has lasted for over ten years.

His quiet, predictable life crumbles when a mysterious stranger walks into his tavern bearing a proposal to find his long-lost brother and do the one thing that William has sworn to never do again - have his brother heal a woman. William soon learns that he can’t escape his family – or his destiny.

Includes an exclusive sample chapter of The Corridors of the Dead. Please note that this is a Kindle Single, and around 6,000 words in length.
“Sundered” by Shannon Mayer
A miracle drug, Nevermore, spreads like wildfire throughout the world allowing people to eat what they want, and still lose weight. It is everything the human population has ever dreamed of and Mara is no different. Only a simple twist of fate stops her from taking Nevermore.

As the weeks roll by, it becomes apparent that Nevermore is not the miracle it claimed. A true to life nightmare, the drug steals the very essence that makes up humanity and unleashes a new and deadly species on the world that is bent on filling its belly. Locked down within their small farm home, Mara and her husband Sebastian struggle against increasingly bad odds, fighting off marauders and monsters alike.

But Sebastian carries a dark secret, one that more than threatens to tear them apart, it threatens to destroy them both and the love they have for each other.

Now Mara must make the ultimate choice. Will she live for love, or will she live to survive?


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Monday, November 21, 2011

$2.99, Higher or Lower, That Is The Question

9:00 AM    No comments

(THIS IS A REPOST from a guest blog post I did for Adopt An Indie month)


When I debuted on the indie scene back in 2010, I was brimming with hope, joy and tons of ideas. I wanted to promote my work and get it out there to the readers who would enjoy it. I never imagined that there would be so much to consider. Everything–from formatting and designing my book cover, to marketing, to what to price my ebooks, all of those tasks seemed a bit daunting.

When I asked other indie authors what they were pricing their ebooks, the answers were varied and vague. No one could or was willing to give me a concrete answer. Finally, one author told me to experiment until I found pricing that worked for me.

Confused and a little bit perturbed by the whole situation, I stumbled across what would become my best guide for pricing my ebooks. The blog, “A Newbie’s Guide to Self-publishing” (http://jakonrath.blogspot.com), written and maintained by traditionally and indie published author, JA Konrath, opened my eyes to ebook pricing. So I decided to take a chance. I lowered my two novels down to $2.99 (Jewels was $4.99; Werelove Dusk Conspiracy was $5.99) and waited for the results.

Within one month of the price drop, my sales doubled. I was astounded. Could a lower price really be better? Then I decided to lower them to $1.99. Again, I saw immediate results as sales once again doubled. Finally, after being out a year, I dropped both books to $0.99 and watched my sales double.

Now, here I am, almost two years and four books later, and I have to say that for me, at least, the model is working. However, just when I thought I’d gotten into a groove, JA Konrath is throwing out another challenge in regards to pricing. Will I take it? Don’t know. Maybe if I can get my courage up. For the time being, I’m going to stick with what’s working.

I encourage you to try it for yourself. Don’t be afraid to go for it. You might be surprised with the results.

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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

NaNoWriMo: Why Do It?

6:48 PM  , ,  No comments

NaNo, who? NaNoWriMo, what? Why?

Who and what is NaNoWriMo can be summed up as:

"National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and, when the thing is done, the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children." --Taken from the NaNoWriMo Official Website

The why do it, is a different for everyone. Some do it for fun. Others do it to get their projects completed. Still others like the opportunity to get that idea from their brain to the page. Regardless of the reason, NaNoWriMo is a great chance to network, get support from fellow writers and let your creativity flow.

So turn off your inner editor and let your ready and willing writer out.

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