Mystery in Large Print

My first large print experiment is complete. I started with a standalone mystery. As I was learning all the requirements, I realized that the book was going to be really big. This is a short novel, so I could keep it as a paperback. It's still pretty big - 629 pages!

If you'd like to grab a copy click HERE. I would appreciate feedback from anyone who uses large print. There are some conflicting requirements out there. I'm surprised that there aren't any set guidelines, but I couldn't find any.

The next in line is another mystery. I want to start work on the Asher Blaine Mystery series. However, that requires another learning curve because those books will be too large for paperback. I haven't looked into hardback books before, so I'm sort of starting from scratch. And I need to talk to Alex about the cover because these books will have a dust jacket. How cool is that?

In other news, the Lethal Seasons audiobook is in review and should be available in another week or two. 

Book 3 for the Transmutation series now has a name - Dilemma. I have to admit that working on the audio and large print has distracted me a little. I'm running a little behind on my writing. I may have to push the release date into early November. But I will try to catch up with myself. I won't have to deal with the audiobook for Scattered Seeds for 3-4 weeks, I think. And the formatting for White Lies for large print is already done.

And that means I really need to get back to work!

White Lies only 99c

For a limited time, today through Monday, White Lies is on sale for 99c.

If you haven't tried that series, now's a good time to take a chance. It's a traditional murder mystery set in Los Angeles with a down and out actor as the amateur sleuth. Click HERE to choose a retailer.

I have finally finished messing about with the family history and gotten back to proper writing. Even though allergy season is in full swing for me, my brain isn't half as foggy as it has been. I'll credit that to being more careful with my diet. Or maybe it's that fact that it's been raining for two weeks straight...

The next big hurdle for me is getting Lethal Seasons into audio. So many things have changed since I first stuck my toe in the audio book pool. I've been reading up on what I need to do and how much this might ultimately cost me. I want to go into this more knowledgeable than I was with the first two.

I can't blame the lack of audio sales on anyone but myself. Both books, White Lies and Unintended Consequences suffered from my lack of experience in marketing. They stumbled coming out of the gate and haven't really recovered. I'm working on that. As you can see from the sale going on right now. I'm not quite ready to plunge, but pretty soon.

Looking Back on a Wonderful Year

I don't think I knew it while I was in it, but this has been a pretty good year for me.

I took a look back on my calendar and was very surprised to see how much I've gotten done. Part of that is probably because I've been very healthy this year. You can't believe the difference in your energy level when you are healthy.

I released 4 books this year. That amazes me. I planned it, stuck to my schedule and got them out on time. And a lot of that happened because I stopped buzzing around the forums trying to figure out what I should be doing. I put my head down and got to work. And that turned out to be easier and more enjoyable than debating the next steps an author should take.

Lessons Learned, book 4 of A Changed World post-apocalyptic series came out in January. High Barrens, the first book of the Tales of Haroon fantasy series came out in March. Blood Relations, the third book of the Asher Blaine Mysteries series came out in August, and Desperate Measures, book 5 of A Changed World came out in December. I don't know if I will be as prolific next year, but I am sure going to try.

Through trial and error, I sort of got a handle on the art of marketing. Then in June, I got the golden ticket - a Bookbub. Books flew off the shelf for a week, then marched, then strolled and it slowly worked its way down to a number of sales much higher than all the previous months. I made a lot of money and that feels amazing, too.

I cracked 10,000 sales. Lethal Seasons has over 100 reviews. I took my books wide and starting selling them in new markets like Kobo, Google Play and Apple.

And I still managed to do a little traveling, visit with family, work in the garden and start on a family history that I've been thinking about.

In the fall, we started work on turning a shed into an office for me. It took a little longer than expected, but the outcome is fabulous. I have all my things in one place. There are big windows to let in natural light and a ton of storage space for all my odds and ends.

This has been a wonderful year, and I hope you've had a good one, too.

Here's hoping for a great 2019 for everyone!

Blood Relations in Print

Finally!

Sheesh. I have been tinkering back and forth with this for too long. The print version of Blood Relations should be hitting the retailers soon. I just approved the final proof on CreateSpace which is a bit tricky.

Apparently Amazon is closing down CreateSpace. They are doing a rolling migration of the authors over to KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). I haven't gotten the magic migration button yet. And that was a big relief because I still had a book under review and was worried what-all might happen.

So there is a possibility that some books might disappear. Since I don't sell a lot of paperbacks, I wasn't too concerned, but it wouldn't be fun. I have heard stories of people losing books, covers, jumbled insides and a gamut of other problems. There's always issues when you change over to a new system. Fingers crossed that I get to be one of the lucky ones without any problems.

It will be interesting to do the next book on a new site. It will be book 5 for A Changed World. I hope it is as easy as CreateSpace was.

But first I need to get that book written. Tillie's raising a ruckus and Wisp has left town with Nick to go find...well, I'm not ready to share that yet. Partly because I'm not sure how it's going to come out. Lots more complication will ensue!

Blood Relations Now Available

Book 3 in the Asher Blaine Mystery series is now available at all retailers. You can buy yours HERE for just $2.99. Reviews would be greatly appreciated.

Book 1, White Lies, is still discounted to 99c through Tuesday. Click HERE to grab a copy. It is available in ebook, print and audio.

The print version of Blood Relations is still giving me some grief, but I hope to have it ready by next week. I will post here when that version is available.

Happy Reading!

Cover Reveal and 99c Sale

Here it is! The fabulous cover for the latest book in the Asher Blaine Mysteries series.

Blood Relations is available as a pre-order on various retailers. Click HERE to reserve a copy. Release date is just one week away on August 23rd.

99c Sale!
White Lies, the first book in the series, will be on sale for 99c on all retailers through August 28th. Click HERE to grab a copy.

Asher is one of my most favorite characters. I hope you enjoy his latest adventures.

Interviews

I have three different interviews coming up. One is a podcast for the new Asher Blaine book, Blood Relations, and the other two are involved in the SPFBO and will be about High Barrens.

As soon as they are up, I will add links here and on my website.

Interviews aren't very easy for me. I am especially concerned about the podcast. I've never been interviewed live before. Usually someone emails me a list of questions and I have plenty of time to think about my answer, write it out and edit it. This time, anything that comes out of my mouth will be out there for people to hear. That's a little intimidating.

And I worry about the cats. They all object when I use my cell phone. They sit at my feet meowing. Sometimes they jump up on the desk to make sure I am aware of their disapproval. I have no idea what their reaction to a Skype call will be. So there's a good chance that I won't be the only one on that podcast. I hope the interviewer likes cats!

Next week White Lies, book 1 of the Asher Blaine Mysteries, will be on discount in the run up to the release of book 3 on August 23rd. And I will reveal the fabulous new cover for Blood Relations here on the blog. Alex has done another wonderful job.

Now back to work on the rough draft for the next book in A Changed World series.

Bits and Bobs

The corrected print version of Lessons Learned is now available. My apologies to anyone who received a bad copy.

The third book of the Asher Blaine Mysteries has a name now - Blood Relations. It's in rewrite and still on track for an August release. I have contacted Alex to work his magic on a cover for me.

The next book for A Changed World is in the brainstorming stage. I've doodled out a few possible scenes. That will be the next endeavor once Blood Relations is out the door.

Lethal Seasons is being discounted for the next couple of weeks. Now's the time to grab your copy for just 99c. Tell all your friends!

It's garden season and I am slowly winning the war against weeds. I don't have a lot of time to play in the dirt every day, but I've got a good plan this year. And I have been pretty healthy, so that helps my energy level. As I often say - the more you do, the more you can do - and that is especially true with physical tasks. Five minutes of weeding turns to ten then twenty, increasing as you build stamina. And the more I can do, the more that gets done.

Get outside and play today. It's good for you.

A Change in Plans

In January, I wrote out my plan for what I would be writing this year. It seemed quite logical. I know how long it should take me to write a book. I added in some wiggle room and an Oops! week or two and was quite proud of myself.

The first book, High Barrens, meandered a little but came out just about when I had planned it. The second one will be the latest Asher Blaine Mystery and despite some left turns, that is looking right on track also. It was pretty easy to get back into that world. I've got a working title of Blood Relations.I sent it off to my first reader last week and got ready to start drafting the next book. And hit a road block.

The next book is supposed to be in the Transmutation series. But I didn't want to write it. Characters from A Changed World were whispering in my ear. There were things brewing at High Meadow that needed my attention.

So I have changed my schedule. The next work in progress will be book 5 for A Changed World. If I can keep to schedule on that one, it should be out by the end of the year. I'll have a better feeling for the pub date after I get Blood Relations out the door. Right now I have a release date on that for August.

Fingers crossed I can stay on target!

Lots of Irons in the Fire!

The fantasy book that gave me fits has finally been finished. Whew. This whole thing has been a lot more complicated than I expected. It will be a stand-alone in a shared world with other books. I will have characters visit from one book to another, but each book with have a complete story.

The world is the Lands of Haroon. The book is High Barrens. It is on track to come out on March 29th. I am waiting to see what Alex comes up with for this cover. I'm sure he'll give me something great again. The final read thru is going pretty smoothly then off to the final edit for grammar and punctuation.

While High Barrens was out to my second-round reader, I started work on another Asher Blaine mystery. It was a lot of fun to get back into his world. I'm still sorting out the murder and perpetrator, a couple of red herrings and various backstories, but it's going pretty well. This one will be in a corn field in Kansas.

And even while I've got two books in flux, I kept getting ideas for the next adventure with Tillie and Angus. Although I had planned to get back to Hunter and Trash before that. Fingers crossed that allergy season doesn't take took great a toll this year!

Back to Asher

When I finished Dark Deeds, I though I was saying good bye to the series. I had left Asher in a good place. It was time to move on to other things. But I forgot how much fun his story is to write.

I'm finally settling into a rhythm of writing, and I've discovered that I like to hop into different series. It helps me change gears and keep everything fresh. Starting in March, I will have four series in rotation now. However, I don't think I can produce four books a year. I'm set up for three this year, if I can learn to write faster, I'll try for four next year.

I struggled with two books last year which completely threw me off my stride. I don't think I scheduled in enough time for life-in-general. This time I have set up a whole year of writing with lots of wiggle room for anything that comes down the pike. And so far, I am a little ahead of myself, which is just amazing.

So Asher is off on another adventure. I'm only a couple thousand words into the draft and already I'm having a blast.

If all goes according to plan, it will be out in August.