What's the Opposite of Grimdark?

I recently discovered a thread on the Kboards asking for recommendations of NobleBright, books that were basically the opposite of Grimdark.

Wonderful!

I am not a fan of Grimdark. It's too dark for me. That's just my personal taste in reading. It's obviously very popular with other folks because it's everywhere.  I thought I was bucking the trends by writing my lighter, happy-ending, good guys win stories. Turns out, there's a lot of us!

At some point, I will make a list of all the authors and recommendations on that thread so I can add their books to my To Be Read list. I wasn't surprised to find a few authors that I have already discovered chiming in. But it reminded me that I've forgotten about a couple of series that I'd like to get back to.

Lovely! More books that appeal to me.

In other news...
Today I was interviewed by a friend for her blog. She will be putting it up on Tuesday. I'll post a link to that because she asked me a lot of questions about A Changed World books.

Still waiting to hear from Kindle Scout.

The interview reminded me of some back story that I had intended to put in the new book and promptly forgot. So I need to go back and figure out where it might fit. Luckily I'm only about 1/3 of the way into the first draft.

Another Rung on the Ladder

When I first started writing, I was on a lot of forums for newbies. I read tons of blogs on writing and publishing. I signed up for newsletters and joined peer review sites. They were all immensely helpful.

Then I learned some things and moved up a rung on the ladder. Some of those places weren't as helpful as before. I needed to find new places to give me tips and tricks and tell me what I didn't know yet.

It's a cycle of learning and growing. I've inched up one more wrung and the air is getting a little thin. I don't need pats on the back as much as a clear view. I've gone from ardent scribbler to business woman and my needs for input have changed once again. Now I'm searching for the blogs and forums that will teach me new things at this level. They're out there, I just need to spend some time to research the right ones for me.

And about the books...

Facade is in its final days over at Kindle Scout. Please visit the site and vote for my book!

Speculations - I'm still working on the first draft.

I've Got Fans!

Well, to be honest, you could probably fit all my fans into a good-sized elevator. But I've got some!

After I published Lethal Seasons, I fretted about getting reviews. I did a giveaway that didn't do much. I tried a service that ended up refunding me because no one asked for my book. I was feeling worried despite the handful of good reviews that had shown up.

Reviews are supposed to be part of the big marketing basket for books. Not having very many can be a red flag to readers cruising for a new book. My few reviews were 4 and 5 star, which can also be a red flag. People might think they are all from friends and family. (And I have to admit that I reconnected with a distant cousin when she read my book and realized it was me.)

Somehow I reached the tipping point with the last free promotion. My book became visible. People read it and the reviews started coming in. Woo hoo!

Since then I have gotten a few really lovely emails from readers who loved my book. What can I say about that, other than WOW. It's nice that people like the book, but it really means something when I hear from people who love that world and its characters. It reminds me why I wanted to write in the first place - to share stories with people.

So here's a big THANK YOU to all my fans.

Please remember to vote for Facade! You can go here.

Accepted!

Thanks to Alex Storer for the picture!

Facade was accepted into Kindle Scout!

Starting on 3/18/16 you can go here to see a sample of the story. It's a hefty sample - the first 4 chapters. If you like it, please nominate it.

And while you're there, take a look at some of the other books. Each reader gets 3 nominations per month. Any book you nominate, if Kindle Scout chooses to publishes it, means a free copy for you.

Now it's time to get back to Speculations!