In 2016, I have a goal of shifting my focus to marketing, as opposed to writing, my books. This generally puts me in a funk, but I've determined to power through. I created a marketing plan with a goal to have a book promoted each week. Although my plan won't be set in motion for real until after my house guests return to their own homes and lives, a few weeks ago, I decided to set up a promotion for Beyond the Fortuneteller's Tent. It starts today.
Because you can find Tent in the Paranormal 13, a collection of 13 paranormal, teen novels, for free I can't put it in the Kindle Select program. I don't mind. I have no idea how many times the collection has been downloaded, but since it has 774 reviews, (with a 4 star rating) I think it must be a whole lot. I'm extremely grateful to have been included, not just for the visibility, but also for the authors I've grown to admire and the things I've learned about marketing.
Anyway, today before the ads begin, here are the current rankings of my Beyond books.
Book one, Beyond the Fortuneteller's Tent
#2,499 Free in Kindle Store
#4 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teen & Young Adult > Historical Fiction
Book two, Beyond the Hollow
#126,718 Paid in Kindle Store
Book three, Beyond the Pale
#233,188 Paid in Kindle Store
I've chosen my very favorite ad sites. I'll keep a score sheet throughout the promotion showing each ads performance. A couple of things to keep in mind--an ad that does well once, may under perform a second time for a variety of reasons.
Here's the lineup:
Kindle Books and Tips 12/28 (You can see it here. www.fkbt.com)
BK Knights Fiverr 12/28 for 7 days
Sweet Free Books 12/29
Ereader News Today 1/7
Robin Reads 1/14
And now, I'm going with my friends to the Wild Animal Park. (Not kidding.)
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Witch Wishes, Chapter One
I just finished the second draft of Witch Wishes. After a round of edits, I'll send it to beta readers. I really love this story, and think it's maybe my favorite so far. But I really worry some readers won't be able to follow it. It's weird, even for me. Here's the first chapter. If you'd like to be a beta reader, please email me at kristyswords@yahoo.com, although if you haven't read book one and two, you'll be lost, I promise.
Witch Ways, book one in the series is only .99 cents for a limited time. Get yours here.
WITCH WISHES--book three in the Witch Ways series.
Witch Ways, book one in the series is only .99 cents for a limited time. Get yours here.
WITCH WISHES--book three in the Witch Ways series.
I sat on the split rail fence that
separated the Henderson’s property from Uncle Mitch’s, Josh stood directly in
front of me, his torso inches from my knees. Despite the snow covered field,
the icicles dripping from the trees and eaves, and the sharp wind cutting
through my fur-lined cape, I was warm and flushed by Josh’s nearness.
His excitement made him look young, and
just for a brief second, I saw him as a kid, about the age he’d been when I’d
moved to Uncle Mitch’s house after my parents’ divorce. He’d been older than
me, of course, his three years my senior launching him into a stratosphere
where my Barbies and I could never venture, not even in my imagination, and so
now, after 8 years, it seemed impossible he could stand in front of me, his
eyes gleaming with an emotion I didn’t know how to interpret, and say, “I
bought you something.”
“For Christmas?” I asked.
“What?” Confusion clouded his
expression.
And just like that, the happiness I’d felt,
the excitement of our first kiss faded. I touched his hand, and he intertwined
his fingers with mine. He felt warm and solid, and his touch sent tingles up my
arm, even though a dozen alarm bells jangled in my head. A skin-pricking
sensation told me we weren’t alone.
I glanced around at the deserted fields
stretching in all directions. The dark woods loomed in the distance. A pair of
goldfinches flitted through the gray sky, their brightly colored feathers
contrasting sharply with the snowy landscape. Still, despite the quiet
surrounding us, I couldn’t shake the being-watching-feeling.
“Christmas,” I repeated. “It’s a major
holiday.”
Stepping closer, he drew my hand to his
mouth and ran his lips over my knuckles. The prickles spread like fire, warming
me from the top of my head, and down. He acted as if I hadn’t spoken.
“Do you want to see what I got you?” he
asked, flipping his dark hair off his forehead.
I nodded, because when he looked at me
with his big blue eyes, the only answer I could ever offer would be yes.
Cupping my cheek in his hand, he leaned
forward and kissed me. With his lips warm against mine, I found it hard to
think of anything, or anyone but him and the tingles running up, down, and over
my skin.
“Is that it?” I asked. “Because that’s
what I got you, too.”
“Good gift,” he said, placing his
forehead against mine so our eyes were just inches apart. “But no, I got you
something else.”
“They’re not mutually exclusive, right?
If I accept your gift, can I still kiss you?”
“Anytime,” he said.
“Mmm, but probably not in front of your
family.”
He pulled away and lifted his eyebrows.
“Yeah, that’s going to be awkward.”
“I have to tell Bree.”
“I’m sure she already knows,” he said.
“What about your mom?”
“She probably knows, too. She has
serious Mom-dar.”
I nodded, agreeing. Mrs. Henderson
really did seem to have a heaping helping of intuition when it came to her
kids. She could spot lie-loaded conversations before anything was ever actually
uttered, and she probably knew about crush long before her child even attempted
to flirt. This probably came in handy for her, but it caused a lot of havoc and
frustration for her kids…and girls-next-door who happened to have a thing for
her son. I was pretty sure if Mrs. Henderson could read her children, she could
probably also sniff out a girl crushing on Josh.
“Let’s not worry about anyone else
right now.” Josh planted a quick kiss on my lips, leaving me hungry for more.
“I want to show you my present.” Taking my hand, he pulled me off the fence.
“You okay? Are you going to be warm enough?”
I nodded. My head still felt a smidge
fuzzy, but I wasn’t sure if that was because of my recent accident and head
injury, or because kissing Josh made me dizzy.
Something in my expression must have
concerned Josh, because he stopped, and stepped in front of me. “Get on,” he
said.
And in a flash, I was little again,
climbing on for a piggy-back ride, something I must have done a hundred times
in the years before there ever was an Evie-and-Josh, back when I was just his
little sister’s best friend. I wanted to ask him when he started thinking of me
differently, as someone other than the sidekick of one of his life’s biggest
annoyances, but I was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to answer, just like I
knew I couldn’t say when I first decided I’d rather kiss Josh than breathe.
Wrapping my arms around his neck
and my legs around his waist, I decided the exact beginning of
the relationship didn’t matter. It wasn’t a race with a starting line. What
mattered was if we ever got close to the finishing line, we’d find a way to
stay on the course.
Josh tromped across the field, holding
me as easily as if I was Gabby, his baby sister. I guessed we were headed for
the barn, but I also noticed we stayed close to the woods, on the distant side
of the shed, far away from the windows, and the spying eyes of his siblings
inside his house. As the trees stretched their branches toward us and the
goldfinches swooped in the air, the skin-crawling feeling of being watched
returned. I tightened my hold on Josh.
Inside the dimly-lit barn, Josh
loosened his grip, and I slid off. A fiberglass boat stood on its hind end,
propped up against the wall beside a collection of fishing poles, nets, and
waders. Mr. Henderson used the opposite side of the barn for a wood shop.
Countless tools lined his workbench, and a large hanging fluorescent light hung
from the ceiling.
Josh went to the boat, reached behind
it, and pulled out a package about the size of a bread box. “It’s not a big
deal,” he said, flushing. It was wrapped in brightly colored paper covered with
pictures of balloons, which seemed wrong, but glancing at his happy, hopeful
expression, also right.
“I’ll love it whatever it is,” I told
him.
“Open it,” he urged.
“You don’t want me to wait for
Christmas?”
“Why do you keep mentioning that word?”
Annoyance flashed across his face. “I want you to open it now.”
Smiling, I tore it open. Ice skates,
black with red racing stripes, built for speed.
“I bought them at a used sporting goods
store.”
“They’re perfect,” I said, hoping I
wasn’t lying. I’d never tried ice-skating before, at least not on real skates.
I’d slipped my way across frozen Peter’s Pond hundreds of time, but not with
anything sharp or pointy attached to my feet. I ran my finger across the blade.
“They should fit,” Josh continued.” You let
Bree borrow your shoes and I took one with me to the shop. Not that it matters.
Clayton Carlson works there, and he told me I could return them if they don’t
work out.”
I saw myself inching around the
perimeter of the lake, clasping onto Josh with a death grip. I slid him a
glance, wondering if he’d foreseen that, too. “Want to try them out?” I asked.
His face brightened and the
apprehension in his eyes disappeared. “Yeah!” He leaned behind the boat and
pulled out his own, well-worn skates. “I thought you might say that. But…are
you sure you’re up to it?”
“I feel fine, and I’m tired of being
babied.”
My dad, stepmother, uncle, and even
normally cranky Mrs. Mateo, our housekeeper, had been fussing over me ever
since my accident a week ago. Sick of being treated like a princess on a
pillow, I’d escaped with Josh. Occasionally, my ribs would twinge with a
complaint, and my head would throb, I got tired easily, and I’d been really
bored, which meant I slept a lot, which made my head fuzzy…it all seemed like a
vicious circle, and besides all the physical trauma, there was also all the
unanswered questions. My memories didn’t line up with what anyone else could
tell me about the night I fell at the Creature of the Chasm State Park.
Except
for Birdie.
“Evie?”
Josh startled me out of my thoughts. I
smiled up at him and took his hand. “Do you want to walk?”
“Let’s take the bike,” he said. “As
long as you think you’ll be warm enough.”
I shot a glance at Josh’s dirt bike
propped up between the boat and a stack of boxes. “I’m good,” I said, tying the
laces of the skates together and looping them around my neck.
“Yeah, you are,” Josh said, leaning in
to kiss me again.
I pulled the hood of the red cape over
my head and settled on the back of the bike behind Josh while he gunned the
engine. The bike sputtered a few times before it roared to life. Moments later,
we were cruising down the road, bypassing downtown and avoiding the busier
streets. I shot a glance at the town green.
It looked different somehow, bleaker,
although I couldn’t say why. In the distance, a gazebo stood on a small hill
beside St. Mark’s stone chapel, the oldest building in Woodinville. Something
nagged in the back of my mind, like a song wanting to be repeated, but the only
lyrics I could recall were la, la, la.
I tightened my grip on Josh and leaned against him. The skates pinched me, and
I had to ease away.
Black and barren trees stood like
sentinels along The King’s Highway. Silver ice clung to the bushes edging the
road. I had forgotten we’d have to pass Birdie’s house to get to Peter’s Pond.
I bit my lip as we roared past her
driveway. Birdie’s house was as lean and bare as the meat on her bones—long
stretches of hardwood floors, soaring windows, and a circular staircase that
twirled toward heaven. I guessed the house was old, given the stately mansions
in the neighborhood, but I couldn’t have pinpointed an era by the exterior
architecture. I loved it, and I loved the fact that one day it would be mine.
My feelings for Birdie were a lot more difficult to define. I loved her
honesty, her ability to speak her mind without worrying what anyone else would
think of her. Her tiny body radiated with energy. She seemed much more alive
than anyone else I knew. And yet, despite her frankness, I didn’t completely
trust her.
A small wooden sign marked the entrance
to Peter’s Pond Park. If not for a wide swatch of dirt cutting through the
forest, it would be easily missed. The park was composed of two picnic tables,
a trash can, and a few fallen trees strategically placed to serve as benches in
a small clearing
Josh cut the engine, rolled the bike to
a nearby tree, and climbed off. I followed him to a picnic table and sat down.
My gaze wandered back to Birdie’s house, barely visible through the thick
woods.
Go
and talk to her,
a voice inside of me urged.
I told the voice to shut up. Besides,
everything I need to say couldn’t be said in
front of Josh. If I started talking about the Creature of the Chasm and
disappearing magic he’d think I’d hit my head too hard. He’d probably tell my
Uncle Mitch, who would tell my dad, who would make me go to a doctor at the
least, and a therapist at the worst. And my dad would tell uber-religious
Maria, my stepmother, and she’d make me talk to her pastor…maybe even an
exorcist…
“Evie?”
I looked up, surprised to see Josh had
already put on his skates while mine still sat on my lap.
“Do you need help?” Josh asked,
dropping to his knees beside me, acting like a shoes salesman.
“No, don’t be silly.” I bent over to
pull off my boots.
Josh loosed the lashes on one skate and
then the other. He handed them to me one at a time, squatting beside me as if
ready to jump in and help if I couldn’t do it on my own. I tightened the laces,
placed my boots on the table next to Josh’s shoes, and took his hand. Together,
we hobbled to the pond’s edge.
The ice looked black, thick and
streaked with countless cuts from previous skaters. The woods ringing the pond
provided a screen from the road. Here Josh could kiss me for hours and no one
would know. But…even though we had the pond to ourselves, I couldn’t shake the
eyes-on-my-back feeling. Hearing a rustling in the trees, I turned and caught
sight of a deer. He stared at me with large black eyes.
Holding onto Josh’s arm, I placed one
skate on the ice and then the other. My ankles wobbled, my feet went in
different directions, and I tightened my hold on Josh.
He pulled away from me, left me
standing on my own, despite my complaints, and came up behind me, placing his
hands on my waist. “Just let me push you,” he said. “Don’t try and move your
feet, yet. I’ll go slow.”
With Josh behind me holding me upright,
we skirted around the edge of the pond at a snail’s pace. At first, I held my
breath and concentrated on keeping my legs ramrod straight. After our second
loop around the pond, Josh pushed me away from him.
“Hey!” I twirled my arms and fought to
retain my balance.
Behind me, Josh laughed. He skated up
beside me, spun around me, and stopped with a screech of his skates at my side.
“You’re doing great,” he said, taking both my hands. “Ready to move your feet?”
Skating backward, he towed me toward the center of the pond. “Relax,” he said.
“I won’t let you fall.”
Ignoring the deer in the woods, and
anyone else who may have been watching, I kept my eyes locked on his. In my
mind he was ten years old again, and I was seven, and---
He spun me, before catching me in his
arms. Breathless, he gazed down at me and I knew—hoped—he was going to kiss me
again.
“Yeah! Josh! Evie!” a voice called to
us.
Annoyance flashed across Josh’s face
and he dropped my hands. “What are they doing here?” he asked through tight
lips.
I peeked over his shoulder at the small
congregation gathering on the pond’s edge. “Skating. Although, I have to warn
you, it looks like Lincoln is making snowballs.”
Josh muttered something beneath his
breath. “How many of them are there?”
I quickly counted. “Nine. Ten if you
count the dog.”
“Nine? There’s only seven of us. And we
have three dogs, not one.”
“Bree brought Marcus and the twins
brought friends.”
“Marcus? Your stepbrother?”
I nodded.
Josh spun around to watch his six
siblings, one of mine, and Leopold, a giant Great Dane skittering our way. “Any
chance they’ll break the ice?” he asked.
“You don’t really want that.”
“I guess you’re right,” he said.
“Why didn’t you bring us with you?”
Lincoln demanded, sliding our way in his red Converse sneakers. He was only
seven, but he looked a lot younger in his hand-me down jacket. He did a great
impression of Barbara Walters or Harvey Levin, asking all the questions no one
wants to answer.
Josh put his arms around me, shielding
me from the oncoming Lincoln. “Maybe we wanted to be alone.”
“Why?” He batted his white blond eyelashes
at his.
“Hey!” Bree called out. She waved with the hand that wasn’t holding
onto Marcus, my gorgeous, Argentine half-brother. She wore a parka almost as bright as her red
curly hair. “Your dad sent me to look for you. Maria was cursing you in
Spanish.”
Marcus shot Bree a reproachful look,
but he didn’t drop her hand. “They are just worried,” he said. “Your accident
really shook them up.”
“I’m fine.”
Marcus slid closer, pulling Bree with
him. “They’re not so sure. I think they both feel guilty you are living with
your Uncle Mitch and not with us.”
I started to roll my eyes but caught
sight of Leopold plowing through the woods and taking Gabby with him.
“Help!” Gabby shrieked, clutching the
leash and trying to keep up with the dog. “Leopold! Stop!”
“Drop the leash, Gabs!” Bree called.
Josh gave Bree a nasty look, before
skating after his baby sister.
“So, what should I tell your dad?” Bree
asked me, grinning. When I didn’t answer, she continued, “Were you seriously
kissing my brother?”
I flashed a look at her hand clasped in
Marcus’s. “You’re holding hands with mine.”
“This is just for stability,” Bree
said. “He’d totally fall if not for me.”
Marcus turned a handsome red and looked
away.
“Why is Leopold here?” I asked.
“Mrs. Cleary is paying the twins to
walk him,” Bree said.
“But the twins aren’t walking him.” I
glanced over at the twelve year old twins trying to knock each other off their
feet. “They’re going to break something.”
“Won’t be the first time,” Bree said.
“As long as it’s not the ice, it’s okay
with me,” Marcus said.
I watched Josh confront his sister,
take possession of the leash, and rein in Leopold.
“I’m going to see if Josh needs help,”
I told Bree and Marcus, without thinking about my skates. Seconds later, I was
on my back, looking up at the gray sky.
Bree, Marcus, Lincoln, the twins, and two
kids I didn’t know came to stare at me.
“You okay?” Bree asked.
“You belong in Washington,” Marcus
said.
Bree slugged his arm. “She totally
could have fallen just as easily in Washington as here!”
“Are you moving to Washington, Evie?”
Lincoln asked. “Like with the president?”
Josh pushed his way through. “Back
off,” he growled. Reaching down, he pulled me up and steadied me on my feet.
“You alright?”
I nodded and touched my forehead.
Josh steered me to the pond’s bank,
helped me up onto the solid, non-slippery ground, and held my hand as we
wobbled to the picnic bench where we’d left our shoes.
Leopold, tied to a tree, watched us,
his big brown eyes pleading for freedom.
“You sure you’re okay?” Josh asked.
I nodded, lying, but not wanting to
worry him.
“Want to return Leopold to Mrs. Cleary?”
Josh asked. “We’ll have to walk.”
“Did they really drive here with nine
people and that huge dog in the van?” I stifled a giggle at the thought as I
pulled off my skates and slipped on my boots.
Josh rolled his eyes. “My mom must have
left Bree in charge.”
“I know why Bree came,” I said. “She
probably thought it would be more fun to pile everyone into the van than to
stay at home and play referee, but how did she get Marcus to come?” I tied the
skates together and strung them around my neck.
“I bet he went over to our house
looking for you.” Josh finished tying his shoes, stood, and went to get
Leopold.
I fondled Leopold’s ears, and he looked
up at me with a loving gaze, as if he knew and understood I had recently saved
his life. I closed my eyes against the rush of memories. The Creature of the
Chasm, the lies, the monster crashing the Winter Formal dance…
“Evie? You ready?” Josh asked.
I shook my head, as if I could clear it
from the unhappy memories…but were they memories? Delusions? A dream? A psychotic
break?
“It’s kind of far, isn’t it?” I asked,
taking Josh’s hand.
“I know a short cut.” His steps slowed.
“Unless…”
“What?”
“Well, maybe you don’t want to go that
way.”
“Why not?”
“We have to go through the Chasm State
Park.”
“Oh.” A tremor shook through me.
“That’s okay.” It was, right? I should be able to walk through the Creature of
the Chasm State Park...in the daylight…with Josh, not to mention Leopold.
Nothing, no one, could hurt me…again. I held Josh’s hand a smidge tighter.
Under the canopy of trees, a light
dusting of snow lay on the ground. As we moved deeper into the woods, the sound
of the cars on the highway, or the buzz of civilization faded into stillness,
amplifying the crunch of our shoes on fallen leaves and twigs. The last time
I’d been here it’d been close to midnight. I remembered the dark night, the
stillness, but little else.
As we walked, Josh talked about his
hopes for a scholarship and the colleges he wanted to attend. I listened with a
sick heart, knowing I should be excited for him, but the thought of being left
behind, again, hurt.
“I’d love to go to California,” he
said.
“Mmm,” I replied.
“I mean, I haven’t ever been further
west than Chicago. You’ve been to India!”
“I’m not sure if they have football in
India. I don’t think there’s room.”
He grinned and elbowed me.
I tried to smile. “I’m serious. How
many players are allowed on a football field at a time?”
“Eleven for each team, or twenty-two.”
“And how big is a football field?”
“About a hundred and ten yards.”
“And there’s about a zillion people in
India. You do the math.”
Josh laughed.
“I’m serious. You do not want to go to
India.”
He cut me a sideways glance. “Do you
want to go to Washington with your dad?” he asked.
“That’s not going to happen.”
Josh dropped my hand and draped his arm
around my shoulder, pulling me close. I inhaled his warm scent. Then I froze.
“What’s the matter?” Josh asked.
We’d come to the other side of the
park, the main entrance. A large wooden sign stood by the guard gate, reading, Welcome to the Chasm State Park.ark.Monday, December 14, 2015
Does Education Always Equal Success?
Mark Twain, dropped out of school at the age of twelve. H.G. Wells at eleven. Jack London at thirteen. Ever heard of Ray Bradbury? Stieg Larsson? Agatha Christie? Herman Melville? None of them went to college. DID NOT KNOW THIS!
“Destiny guides our fortunes more favorably than we could
have expected. Look there, Sancho Panza, my friend, and see those thirty or so
wild giants, with whom I intend to do battle and kill each and all of them, so
with their stolen booty we can begin to enrich ourselves. This is nobel,
righteous warfare, for it is wonderfully useful to God to have such an evil
race wiped from the face of the earth."
"What giants?" Asked Sancho Panza.
"The ones you can see over there," answered his
master, "with the huge arms, some of which are very nearly two leagues
long."
"Now look, your grace," said Sancho, "what
you see over there aren't giants, but windmills, and what seems to be arms are
just their sails, that go around in the wind and turn the millstone."
"Obviously," replied Don Quijote, "you don't
know much about adventures.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
It's also unknown if Cervantes attended school. This is what Wikipedia said about him. His major work, Don Quixote, considered to be the first modern European novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded amongst the best works of fiction ever written. His influence on the Spanish language has been so great that the language is often called la lengua de Cervantes ("the language of Cervantes").[6] He was dubbed El PrÃncipe de los Ingenios ("The Prince of Wits")
Here are some more great quotes from not so great students, but very great writers.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his
brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much
as you please.
Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The
world owes you nothing. It was here first.
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.
MARK TWAIN
An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The
older she gets the more interested he is in her.
It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people
looking ridiculous that you realize just how much you love them.
The best time to plan a book is while you're doing the
dishes. AGATHA CHRISTIE
It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in
imitation.
Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian.
HERMAN MELVILLE
Friday, December 11, 2015
How to Get Your Books in Libraries--Friday Writer's Forum
I noticed that some of my most frequented blog posts are from my Friday's Writer's Forum, something I stopped posting almost two years ago. Which was a shame, because I often myself rereading them when I personally have a question. So, hail the revived Friday's Writer's Forum. Today, I had a question on how to get my books in libraries, so I did some research. For more info, visit: http://www.booklistonline.com/get-reviewed
This is a picture I took inside the New York City Public Library, one of my very most favorite places.
Submitting Review Material to Booklist
If you wish to submit materials for review consideration in Booklist or Booklist Online, specific guidelines for various formats and types of materials are provided below. Any publisher of a book reviewed in Booklist will receive a tearsheet of the review. Due to the volume of submissions (more than 60,000 per year), we are unable to notify publishers whose books have not been selected for review. All submissions of materials for review become the sole property of the American Library Association; request for return of materials or other restrictions cannot be honored.
Send review materials to:
Booklist
American Library Association
50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611
American Library Association
50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611
Whom to Address
Adult Books: Donna Seaman, Editor, Adult Books
Contact editorial assistant Chris Anderson or Biz Hyzy for questions about review status.
Books for Youth (Children’s and YA): Dan Kraus, Editor, Books for Youth
Contact editorial assistant Briana Shemroske for questions about review status.
Graphic Novels: Sarah Hunter, Senior Editor, Books for Youth
Media: Contact Joyce Saricks, Audio Editor, for specific audio recording and audiobook procedures. Contact Sue-Ellen Beauregard, Video Editor, via her assistant, Biz Hyzy, for specific video procedures.
Reference Materials: Contact Rebecca Vnuk, Editor, Collection Management and Library Outreach, for specific reference procedures.
What to Send
Vital Information. Review copies in all categories must include a publication slip specifying prices and ISBNs for all editions, publication date (month and year), and publisher/distributor. Audiovisual media must be accompanied by running time and distributor name, address, and telephone number. For audiobooks, children’s music CDs, and spoken-word audios, please indicate the names of the performers, readers, and authors when applicable. Please read our current policy concerning ebooks.
Galleys: Adult Fiction and Nonfiction. Send one galley, bound if possible, of all original adult fiction and nonfiction titles, paperback as well as hardcover. Month of publication should be clearly indicated. Galleys should arrive at Booklist at least 15 weeks prior to publication. In cases where no galleys are available, photocopied manuscript, page proofs, folded-and-gathered sheets, or other forms of prepublication copy are acceptable. Galleys received less than 15 weeks before publication will be considered provided they are sent toBooklist no later than to Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Library Journal.
Galleys: Children’s and YA Books. Send two copies of folded-and-gathered sheets for picture books, nonfiction, and other titles primarily dependent on illustrations. Send bound galleys for other children’s and YA books including original paperbacks.
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Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Psycho-Pictography, the New Way to Use the Miracle Power of your Mind.
While cleaning out an investment property we purchased, I came across Vernon Howard's Psycho-Pictography, the New Way to Use the Miracle Power of your Mind. It was first published in 1966. Vernon also wrote The Secrets of Mental Magic, How to Use Your Full Power of Mind, Action Power: The Miracle Way to a Successful New Life and a few more with similar titles. Like The Secret, some of it rings true and some of it just wants to be true, but I found it more entertaining than most of the other things I found while cleaning out a rental unit.
Here are some of the things I underlined: (It's important to note that not everything I'm quoting from the book came from Vernon. This first quote is from Emerson.)
Our strength grows out of our weakness. The indignation which arms itself with secret forces does not awaken until we are pricked and stung and sorely assailed. A great man is always willing to be little. While he sits on the cushion of advantages he goes to sleep. When he is pushed, tormented, defeated, he has a chance to learn something: he has been put on his wits, on his manhood; he has pained facts, learns his ignorance; he is cured of the insanity of conceit; has got moderation and real skill. The wise man throws himself on the side of his assailants. It is more his interest than it is theirs to find his weak points. RALPH WALDO EMERSON
Our growth into full personal power is basically a process of discard. Discard what?
Unrealistic beliefs
Unworkable assumptions
Painful imaginations
False conclusions
Impulsive decisions
Hazy judgements
Ask yourself where are you going every day.
What is success? First and last, it is personal happiness.
Remember the three magic words: Try Another Way.
It is your moral duty to be happy.
As long as we are aboard the ship, if we are traveling in the right direction, we can completely relax. The ship is headed in the right direction and so are we.
Know exactly what you want.
Dismiss wasteful and negative attitudes.
Make the most of every opportunity.
Our viewpoints make our world whatever it is. A new awareness creates an entirely new world.
Always remember your castle.
It is very painful to pretend to be someone.
Don't drain your energy by thinking negatively toward people who harm you.
Just as a tiger is restrained by the bars, a hostile person is prevented from harming you by your own understanding.
What he dislikes in himself he dislikes in others.
When you really understand that he acts as he does because he is scared, you can be emotionally free.
All negative emotions have a foundation of fear. Whenever encountering a troublesome person, do not identify him as being cruel, stupid or rude. Instead see him as frightened.
Do not identify with an unwanted habit. It is merely acquired; it is not part of the real you.
Listen to the secret message of your experiences. Let them help you build self-serving habits.
We cling to harmful habits because they give us temporary gratification.
How can we dissolve a habit? By getting an entirely new self--a self that is not identified with the habit.
Guilt is a self-centered emotion concerned only with what others will think, with reputation.
Here are some of the things I underlined: (It's important to note that not everything I'm quoting from the book came from Vernon. This first quote is from Emerson.)
Our strength grows out of our weakness. The indignation which arms itself with secret forces does not awaken until we are pricked and stung and sorely assailed. A great man is always willing to be little. While he sits on the cushion of advantages he goes to sleep. When he is pushed, tormented, defeated, he has a chance to learn something: he has been put on his wits, on his manhood; he has pained facts, learns his ignorance; he is cured of the insanity of conceit; has got moderation and real skill. The wise man throws himself on the side of his assailants. It is more his interest than it is theirs to find his weak points. RALPH WALDO EMERSON
Our growth into full personal power is basically a process of discard. Discard what?
Unrealistic beliefs
Unworkable assumptions
Painful imaginations
False conclusions
Impulsive decisions
Hazy judgements
Ask yourself where are you going every day.
What is success? First and last, it is personal happiness.
Remember the three magic words: Try Another Way.
It is your moral duty to be happy.
As long as we are aboard the ship, if we are traveling in the right direction, we can completely relax. The ship is headed in the right direction and so are we.
Know exactly what you want.
Dismiss wasteful and negative attitudes.
Make the most of every opportunity.
Our viewpoints make our world whatever it is. A new awareness creates an entirely new world.
Always remember your castle.
It is very painful to pretend to be someone.
Don't drain your energy by thinking negatively toward people who harm you.
Just as a tiger is restrained by the bars, a hostile person is prevented from harming you by your own understanding.
What he dislikes in himself he dislikes in others.
When you really understand that he acts as he does because he is scared, you can be emotionally free.
All negative emotions have a foundation of fear. Whenever encountering a troublesome person, do not identify him as being cruel, stupid or rude. Instead see him as frightened.
Do not identify with an unwanted habit. It is merely acquired; it is not part of the real you.
Listen to the secret message of your experiences. Let them help you build self-serving habits.
We cling to harmful habits because they give us temporary gratification.
How can we dissolve a habit? By getting an entirely new self--a self that is not identified with the habit.
Guilt is a self-centered emotion concerned only with what others will think, with reputation.
Monday, December 7, 2015
E. B. White's Christmas -1952
E. B. White's Christmas -1952 From this high midtown hall, undecked with boughs, unfortified with mistletoe, we send forth our tinselled greetings as of old, to friends, to readers, to strangers of many conditions in many places. Merry Christmas to uncertified accountants, to tellers who have made a mistake in addition, to girls who have made a mistake in judgment, to grounded airline passengers, and to all those who can't eat clams! We greet with particular warmth people who wake and smell smoke. To captains of river boats on snowy mornings we send an answering toot at this holiday time. Merry Christmas to intellectuals and other despised minorities! Merry Christmas to the musicians of Muzak and men whose shoes don't fit! Greetings of the season to unemployed actors and the blacklisted everywhere who suffer for sins uncommitted; a holly thorn in the thumb of compilers of lists! Greetings to wives who can't find their glasses and to poets who can't find their rhymes! Merry Christmas to the unloved, the misunderstood, the overweight. Joy to the authors of books whose titles begin with the word "How" (as though they knew!). Greetings to people with a ringing in their ears; greetings to growers of gourds, to shearers of sheep, and to makers of change in the lonely underground booths! Merry Christmas to old men asleep in libraries! Merry Christmas to people who can't stay in the same room with a cat! We greet, too, the boarders in boarding hoses on 25 December, the duennas in Central Park in fair weather and foul, and young lovers who got nothing in the mail. Merry Christmas to people who plant trees in city streets; Merry Christmas to people who save prairie chickens from extinction! Greetings of a purely mechanical sort to machines that think-- plus a sprig of artificial holly. Joyous Yule to Cadillac owners whose conduct is unworthy of their car! Merry Christmas to the defeated, the forgotten, the inept; Joy to all dandiprats and bunglers! We send, most particularly and most hopefully, our greetings and our prayers to soldiers and guardsmen on land and sea and in the air-- the young men doing the hardest things at the hardest time of life. To all such, Merry Christmas, blessings, and good luck! We greet the Secretaries-designate, the President-elect; Merry Christmas to our new leaders, peace on earth, good will, and good management! Merry Christmas to couples unhappy in doorways! Merry Christmas to all who think they are in love but aren't sure! Greetings to people waiting for trains that will take them in the wrong direction, to people doing up a bundle and the string is too short, to children with sleds and no snow! We greet ministers who can't think of a moral, gagmen who can't think of a joke. Greetings, too, to the inhabitants of other planets; see you soon! And last, we greet all skaters on small natural ponds at the edge of woods toward the end of afternoon. Merry Christmas, skaters! Ring, steel! Grow red, sky! Die down, wind! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good morrow! E.B. White, 12/20/52
Thursday, December 3, 2015
By the Yard it's Hard, but by the Inch it's a Cinch.
I once visited the Glacier National Park in Southern Argentina and hiked 19 miles. I don’t think I intended to hike 19 miles, but summer’s daylight in the southern hemisphere lasts a long time and there didn’t seem to be a reason to return to the hotel.
The scenery was mouth dropping gorgeous and the weather perfect. Lakes a surreal blue, a matching sky, big fluffy clouds, a gentle breeze, a soft sun, which made the thunder difficult to explain until we realized we weren’t hearing thunder, but the splintering and crashing of glaciers.
Whenever I’d start to feel buff and proud of my ability to hike with Larry and Nathan, I’d be passed by some 60ish sisters with serious-looking backpacks. Once I was overrun by a herd of tiny Asian women who looked about as strong and substantial as hummingbirds. But, when I came to mile 10 and the sign that read DANGER, STEEP INCLINE NEXT 1.5 MILES, all middle-aged ladies disappeared.
And after a few yards, I thought I’d disappear, too. A thirty-degree incline-up loose shoal. One foot up, slide 6 inches down. No trees, bushes or handholds. After serious arguing involving words such as chauvinists, sexists, and death, I convinced Larry and Nathan to leave me behind. They went to find the lake and glacier, and I sat on a rock.
For about 3 minutes.
A teenage looking hiker passed by and I asked him how long until the glacier. 20 minutes, but he assured me it was worth the climb. So, I came up with a plan. I took 60 steps and then picked up a pebble (they were plentiful.) When I had five pebbles (300 steps) I allowed myself to sit down and replaced the pebbles with a rock. When I had two rocks a pair of hikers passed and I asked them how long to the glacier. 10 minutes, they said. By the time I had another rock (300 steps, 5 minutes) I crested the hill and could see the lake and glacier below. I could also see Larry and Nathan at the water’s edge. I found a place to sit down and watch them. I didn’t need to join them; I just liked seeing them together.
There’s the old maxim, by the yard it’s hard, but by the inch it’s a cinch. But, it wasn’t a cinch, ever. It was hard. If I hadn’t taken it at my pace and allowed myself to occasionally sit down, I wouldn’t have made it. But, I did make it. One pebble, one rock at a time. Was the view worth the climb? I’ve seen prettier postcards, but watching Larry and Nathan together at the lake’s edge, that was worth seeing.
When Larry and Nathan caught up with me, Nathan said, “I knew you could do it, Mom.” Which was nice to hear, because I didn’t know I could. We were still 9 miles from the trailhead, but it was all downhill from there.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
A Kindle Scout Winner Promotion
I thought of waiting until tomorrow to post this since that's when the promotion starts, but decided to post now in case anyone has any suggestions.
I always love promotion threads, but I’ve never posted
one before mostly because I’m not very organized, but also because I’ve felt I
nothing to say that hasn’t already been said before. So, here’s a different
sort of promotion thread. I booked a small number of relatively inexpensive ads
to promote my YA Kindle Scout Winner, Witch Ways. Some of you will probably
feel that this isn’t useful, because I’ve the mighty Zon doing my heavy lifting.
You are right. But some of you might wonder how the Kindle Scout program helps
or hinders, so I’m sharing.
Because WW was published by Amazon, I didn’t write the
blurb, set the keywords or the price. It was published in August and in October
they notified me that they’d be lowering the price to 0.99 for the month of
November.
In the past, I haven’t found 0.99 promotions to be very
successful. I have had much more traction with free promotions, so I hesitated to
spend any money on it. I reconsidered, and now I’m regretting my hesitation
because I wasn’t able to get an ENT ad. (They told me they were full and asked
me to reapply at a later time.) I was also turned down by Robin Reads. (Like
ENT, they have always performed well.) I ran a KB&T ad earlier in the
month. They have also been good to me. I wish I could say I have a Book Bub ad,
but I’ve never had the pleasure.
I don’t have access
to the actual sales until the end of the month, so I’ll be posting the book’s
ranking. I’ll also be sharing the sales of Witch Winter, the sequel. Comments
and criticisms welcome.
Here it is:
11/18 Betty Book
Freak $8.
11/18 Booktastic $10.
11/19 Awesome Gang $10.
11/19 Sweet Free
Books $5
11/20 Booksends $20
11/20 BKnights $5.
$58.
Starting rank as of just now:
Witch Ways: Witch Ways
33 reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: # #9,618 Paid in Kindle Store
#35 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature &
Fiction > Contemporary Fiction > Fantasy
#54 in Books > Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy
> Fantasy > Coming of Age
Witch Winter: (Which I self-published, wrote the blurb, set
the price, chose the keywords, etc. I should also mention that my amazing
daughter designs my covers, and Amazon didn’t ask to change them.)
6 reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,431 Paid in Kindle Store
#13 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature &
Fiction > Mythology & Folk Tales > Folklore
#14 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's
eBooks > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Collections
UPDATE:
Not really near the end of day one, but since I've things to do tonight, I'll update now. Here's the rank info for Witch Ways.
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,866 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#32 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction > Fantasy
#46 in Books > Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Coming of Age
#91 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teen & Young Adult > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Coming of Age
Plus 1 5 star review. (Yeah!)
And five sales of Witch Winter. Here's her stats:
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,012 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#11 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mythology & Folk Tales > Folklore
#13 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Collections
#155 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Fairy Tales
It's the morning of the 19th. Today we have Awesome Gang and Sweet Free Books. Here's W. Ways rank: (Which--no pun intended--makes me happy.)
UPDATE:
Not really near the end of day one, but since I've things to do tonight, I'll update now. Here's the rank info for Witch Ways.
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,866 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#32 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction > Fantasy
#46 in Books > Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Coming of Age
#91 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teen & Young Adult > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Coming of Age
Plus 1 5 star review. (Yeah!)
And five sales of Witch Winter. Here's her stats:
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,012 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#11 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mythology & Folk Tales > Folklore
#13 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Collections
#155 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Fairy Tales
It's the morning of the 19th. Today we have Awesome Gang and Sweet Free Books. Here's W. Ways rank: (Which--no pun intended--makes me happy.)
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,229 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #27 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction > Fantasy
- #39 in Books > Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Coming of Age
- #79 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teen & Young Adult > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Coming of Age
The end is near. Today, the last of the ads ran. Here's where we are: Witch Ways
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,409 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #31 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction > Fantasy
- #41 in Books > Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Coming of Age
- #84 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teen & Young Adult > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Coming of Age
- #9 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mythology & Folk Tales > Folklore
- #9 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Collections
- #115 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Fairy Tales
Witch Winter:#22,664 Paid in Kindle Store
I'm not really sure what to make of this. Yes, my numbers are better. Did I make my $58 back on just my Witch Ways sales? I can't be certain, because I can't see Witch Ways actual numbers.Because I was curious, I did some digging and found this:Theresa Ragan posts the results of her calculations here. She updates them periodically, but here's the current set:
Amazon Best Seller Rank 10,000 to 50,000 - selling 3 to 15 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 5,500 to 10,000 - selling 15 to 30 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 3,000 to 5,500 - selling 30 to 50 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 500 to 3,000 - selling 50 to 200 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 350 to 500 - selling 200 to 300 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 100 to 350 - selling 300 to 500 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 35 to 100 - selling 500 to 1,000 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 10 to 35 - selling 1,000 to 2,000 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank of 5 to 10 - selling 2,000 to 4,000 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank of 1 to 5 - selling 4,000+ books a day.Yes, I've certainly made more than $60 on my other books in the last 4 days. My sales are up in general--for all of my books. I think it goes back to that a rising tide lifts all ships analogy. And it might have something to do with longer nights, and people nesting, taking books to bed instead of braving cold weather. Or it might be the moon. We can always blame the moon.Yesterday I did my accounting for the year, and I came to two hard realizations. One. I need to do my bookkeeping more than once a years. At least monthly. Two, if I really want to be successful, I need a marketing plan. I may have to step outside of my comfort house. But before I do that, I have to decide if it's worth it to me. The grim reality is marketing books takes time, consistent effort, and a certain amount of obnoxiousness. And bookkeeping. And organization. Ugh.Once I finish my Witch series, I have two equally compelling story ideas. I'm not sure which I want to pursue, if either. Both come complete with marketing plans that will require that obnoxiousness I spoke of, but I can't get excited about leaving my comfort house. And who wants to be obnoxious?
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,409 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
It's the day after the promotion and my numbers are the best they've been. Go figure. Does that mean my last two ads were the best? Or is Amazon helping me out? Not sure. Witch Ways, November 21
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,254 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #14 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction > Fantasy
- #24 in Books > Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Coming of Age
- #47 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teen & Young Adult > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Coming of Age
Witch Winter as of November 21
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,637 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #8 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Collections
- #8 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mythology & Folk Tales > Folklore
- #85 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Fairy Tales
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