Greenvale is Coming!

I finally have a release date for Greenvale, book 2 in the Tales of Haroon world.

The ebook will be available June 27th at all retailers. I hope to have the print book a couple weeks after that.

Although these books are written as stand-alones, the first book in the series, High Barrens, will be down to 99c from June 23 through June 29.

This series is a little different. It's about people who don't have magic in a magical world. What they do have is an odd little innate ability that isn't good for much. Except, maybe, getting them in trouble.

The first book was about Flint who can see a person's heart-fire. It lets her know a little about them - their health, if they're lying, and it they have any inclination towards one of the many gods that imbue magic.

This book is about Chance. He can sense wrongness in the world. That doesn't give him an explanation or any special knowledge about how to correct it. But he can also sense rightness, and sometimes that is the way to fix the wrongness.

Alex did another fabulous cover for me. I can't wait to share it.

The next book I'll be working on is book 3 for the Transmutation series.

A Reader Found a Typo, Sort of...

I received an email the other day from a reader who alerted me to the fact that I might have misused a word. I always like to get feedback from my readers. But I was sure I had used the right word. I googled it right away and learned something new.

Cannelloni is a pasta.

Cannellini is a bean.

The reader was right, I had mentioned dried beans, such as cannelloni. It should have been cannellini with an i. That's the sort of thing that drives me crazy when I find them in other people's books, so I appreciate her reaching out to me.

I'm not sure if I ever knew that there was a pasta with such a similar name. Now I do.

The next time I redo the back matter, or make any other adjustments to that book, I will be sure to correct the spelling.

Lethal Seasons for 99c and Book #13

First the fun part.

The first book of A Changed World series - Lethal Seasons - is 99c Now through April 23rd. To grab a copy Click Here.

Now the hard part. Book 13 is being a problem.

I didn't realize it was number thirteen until recently. Maybe that's why it is taking so long. That dreaded number - 13.

I think part of it is new characters that need more introducing. And although it is a world I already introduced, it is a different country and needs a lot of setting.

And this character is a bit odd. I've had him in my head for awhile, but I only figured out his special skill when I started writing the story over the winter. And I have learned a lot about him on the journey. I'm so close to the end, but I just can't see the perfect place to stop.

Another part of it is a bit of fatigue, I think. All last year I pushed myself to write every day. I managed to put out three books. And I was very proud of myself. But I can't seem to stick to that schedule this year. Life, health, relatives, pets...all important things, needed my attention.

So I am giving myself a pass on the year's goals. I had planned to publish this month but I'm still working on the rough draft. It's crazy to push out a badly written book just to reach a self-imposed deadline. It'll come out when it is done and polished and I am proud to put my name on it.

Whew. Now I need to get back to those relatives and cats...

I Got Another Bookbub!

Woohoo! I feel like I won the lottery.

Bookbub is a curated newsletter of free and discounted books separated by genre. It is one of the most powerful selling tools for a writer. However, since it is curated, sometimes it is hard to get a slot.

I applied today and said I would take any date. They came right back with an approval! For April 21st!

I'm doing the Happy Dance all over the house.

This comes at a really good time for me. I'm still working on the book I started months ago, and I was feeling bad about how long this is taking. New releases are important for sales. I was pressuring myself to do some more aggressive marketing. And ugh...I was stressing myself out.

At the same time, sales for Lethal Seasons have coasted downhill. It's still selling, with the occasional spike for no apparent reason, but the general direction is down. It needed a good shove back into the limelight.

And I got it!

Excuse me while I take my Happy Dance out into the yard.

Kitty Time

Two kitties at the windows in the new office. I put a bird feeder outside the window and it keeps the cats busy for hours.

Mallory likes to play whack-a-mole with the birds that come to the window feeder. The birds have learned that she can't get to them.

Watching the squirrel can be so exhausting! Rascal had to lie down, but is keeping an eye on him.

Must be dinner time, because we are all here!

Unintended Consequences only 99c

A serial killer stalks a cat burglar...

If suspense is your cup of tea, give this a try for 99c. Discounted through March 16th.

The Unintended Consequences ebook is available all over. Click HERE to pick a retailer.

End of the Reading Slump

I finally picked up a book again. I don't know what causes my reading slumps, but they occur from time to time. I don't think I've read a book for months. And I have a pile waiting on the Kindle, so it isn't for a lack of material.

I started with a book that I've been meaning to read for awhile. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed. I finished it, mostly just to see where it was going. There wasn't enough conflict. The characters enter difficult situations and the problems unravel much too easily. But I was curious enough about where it was heading, so I got book 2, which was a mistake.

Along with a lack of conflict, book 2 veers off into romance. There was much too much pining for my taste. And a total clash with the straight up epic fantasy of the first book. Needless to say, I will not be reading book 3.

The main problem here is the contradiction of reader expectations. When I pick up a book billed as epic fantasy, I'm looking for certain things like good world building, non-human species, maybe some magic, a journey, possibly a quest. I think most readers would agree that subsequent books in the series should remain consistent in those elements. A little romance thrown in as a subplot is fine as long as it doesn't hijack the story.

Mashing genres together can be fun. I like Alex Bledsoe's Eddie LaCrosse series that is medieval noir. He's a sword-toting gumshoe on horseback. But that's in the blurb and I was ready for it. It also remains consistent book to book.

There's lots of fantasy-romance in all the subgenres. That just isn't my cup of tea. Neither are military sci-fi or zombie books. It's not even apples and oranges, because they're both fruit and really can be substituted one for the other. It's more like apples and octopus. Some people love it, some don't. So don't offer them an apple and then serve up octopus.