A week earlier than expected, but Finally Home is now available on audible.com. The email stated that it would go up on itunes and amazon.com in the next few days.
If you are a new member to audible.com and make Finally Home one of your first three purchases, I get a little bonus. If you are not new to audible.com and have the credits and/or would like to purchase your copy of Finally Home, it is retailing for $13.96 or 1 credit.
It looks like I will have to use my credits to get my own books, which is fine, as I will then have them in my library and can play the sample file which is clearer than the download I did from the ACX site. Please pass the word that my books are starting to go out as audio books.
As stated last week, I have started a second Kelly Watson mystery, tentatively calling it The Mysterious Bookshop, so hopefully by the spring of next year it will be available in all formats - ebook will probably be the first format and then print and audiobook. When I have a title and cover, I'll share with you all; of course, I have to write the story before I can really think of having a cover made up. See you all in the postings - E :)
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
July 1-3
Save the date as it seems this will be the "go live" week for both Finally Home and State of Successess, after being told originally 10-20 days, which would have been today had that been true. Now I've been told 14-20 business days and that they should go live the first week of July. Hopefully, this means before the 4th of July that both books will be available in audio format. This reminds me of the old Heinz Ketchup jingle way back in the day - Anticipation, It's making me wait. I'm anxiously awaiting the books going live just like the people pouring the ketchup were anticipating it falling on the burger. I don't like waiting like this and I don't know what all they have to do to "validate" or as was stated in the second correspondence "complete ingestion." Funny term but I guess I have to keep waiting. See you all in the postings - E :)
Thursday, June 20, 2013
New Kelly Adventure
Monday evening I was chatting with one of my editors, who is busy working on finishing several drafts of projects she has started before she delivers her third child in August, and she was nudging, okay more like nagging me, to write. I tried the nudging part with her before to get her inspired to complete some projects but she tended to shut down and disappear for a while and not write much. I guess I'm kind of the same way. I went to the store Wednesday evening because I had the munchies and ran into a lady whom I met at the laundromat a few months ago and had given her daughter, age 10, a copy of Finally Home and we got to talking and I was told that her daughter really enjoyed it and kept telling her mom that she couldn't put it down until she had finished reading it. So, that inspired me some and got me thinking more on the new story since I had a base for it from chatting with Lana.
So, since the state books are on hold for now and I tried putting the karma out to the kids for new stories for Kelly and Emma and that didn't work too well, I know I need to write something else, either a short story or another Kelly story. I was looking over some story lines from previous winners of kids stories (the kids actually wrote the stories) on Mysterynet.com and some other information about writing mysteries that I had printed off.
One of the pages I had printed off was a "Mystery Story Starter Ideas: DIY Guide for Children and Adults" by Marilisa Sachteleben. One of the prompts is titled "The Book Seller's Enigma" and the prompt reads as: "I hadn't remembered seeing the musty old book shop on that street before, but the old peddler bechoned me. When I returned the next day with my brother, shop and shopkeeper had gone. We asked an old-timer passing by. "That shop?" he declared, "why it ain't been around for 50 years." (Doesn't that just beckon you to write a story about the store, the shopkeeper or the something else mysterious about the contents of the bookstore?)
When I shared that prompt with Lana, before I actually could get the whole prompt typed into the chat window, she said I could write about a mysterious book from the bookstore. I mulled it over a day or so, and have now come up with a second adventure for Kelly. I don't know what I will call it yet, but I've written 2 pages so far and I feel I need to write a couple of pages before I even get to Kelly and Emma's conversation about the bookstore. I feel I almost have to have an istant message between Kelly and Judy, Kelly's long-time, bestest friend who is blind and from whom Kelly had to move when they moved to the small town where she found the house that actually belonged to her father. I will play around with it a bit and see what is working and hopefully I will have a new story soon. When I get a bit further in to the story, I may start sharing some excerpts from the story and may even run a contest for the title of the story. I will keep you all posted as I progress. See you all in the postings - E :)
AFGHAN DRAWING: Don't forget to leave a comment with a valid email to be contacted so that you can be entered in the drawing for the red, white and blue afghan drawing, which will be held around December 1 or so.
So, since the state books are on hold for now and I tried putting the karma out to the kids for new stories for Kelly and Emma and that didn't work too well, I know I need to write something else, either a short story or another Kelly story. I was looking over some story lines from previous winners of kids stories (the kids actually wrote the stories) on Mysterynet.com and some other information about writing mysteries that I had printed off.
One of the pages I had printed off was a "Mystery Story Starter Ideas: DIY Guide for Children and Adults" by Marilisa Sachteleben. One of the prompts is titled "The Book Seller's Enigma" and the prompt reads as: "I hadn't remembered seeing the musty old book shop on that street before, but the old peddler bechoned me. When I returned the next day with my brother, shop and shopkeeper had gone. We asked an old-timer passing by. "That shop?" he declared, "why it ain't been around for 50 years." (Doesn't that just beckon you to write a story about the store, the shopkeeper or the something else mysterious about the contents of the bookstore?)
When I shared that prompt with Lana, before I actually could get the whole prompt typed into the chat window, she said I could write about a mysterious book from the bookstore. I mulled it over a day or so, and have now come up with a second adventure for Kelly. I don't know what I will call it yet, but I've written 2 pages so far and I feel I need to write a couple of pages before I even get to Kelly and Emma's conversation about the bookstore. I feel I almost have to have an istant message between Kelly and Judy, Kelly's long-time, bestest friend who is blind and from whom Kelly had to move when they moved to the small town where she found the house that actually belonged to her father. I will play around with it a bit and see what is working and hopefully I will have a new story soon. When I get a bit further in to the story, I may start sharing some excerpts from the story and may even run a contest for the title of the story. I will keep you all posted as I progress. See you all in the postings - E :)
AFGHAN DRAWING: Don't forget to leave a comment with a valid email to be contacted so that you can be entered in the drawing for the red, white and blue afghan drawing, which will be held around December 1 or so.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Price Reduction
I just decided to lower the price on all the print books available. State books are now $8.50 across the board (Wilderness, Successes, Heights and Nature) as this is the price I sell them when I do in-person events. Finally Home is now $9.99 and "Train of Clues" has been reduced to $5.99. Hopefully sales will pick up with these price reductions across the board.
I've been thinking about this for a while now because I do generally well at in-person events with these prices and should be able to do well through Amazon with the same prices. See you all in the postings - E :)
I've been thinking about this for a while now because I do generally well at in-person events with these prices and should be able to do well through Amazon with the same prices. See you all in the postings - E :)
Show Don't Tell
I recently finished a book about witches but was puzzled why the author defined things like athame and Book of Shadows instead of describing them. The one thing I did take away from reading the book is that I need to do some research and bring out Kelly's powers more in future stories. I need to know how to do certain things, like how to do Tarot readings and help her use her newfound witch powers for good.
I also decided that instead of saying "show don't tell" for stories, the new saying is "Describe don't Define." As a children's author, we are told to not talk down to the readers and I felt like I was being talked down to by this author when she defined things instead of describing them. I felt like she assumed we were stupid and not knowing of the things associated with witches and that is why she had to define them for us. I think as a reader, I'm typically going to read things that interest me and that I do know something about or that I may be writing about.
I don't read sci-fi because it doesn't interest me; I'm not big on a romance but if there is romance in the story, I'm not turned off by it; I enjoy things like Suspense, Thrillers, Mysteries, some paranormal and children's genres. I'm not into werewolves or vampires but enjoy good ghost stories and some witch stories. If the witch story isn't evil and has an element of what true witches are, I'm okay with it.
As far as showing goes, you want the reader to picture in their mind exactly what you are describing and how you see the object. Witches' athames are different as are their familiars and Book of Shadows. Some witches have psychic powers and some have the ability to read Tarot cards with accuracy. Research what it is you want to use in your stories and describe for your readers but don't talk down to them.
Think of a story you've read recently and if the author has described or defined things throughout. Did you feel talked down to or that you were not knowing of the items in the story? Did the author do a good job of making you see the objects in your mind? Do you read a particular author more than others because they use a lot of description in their writings? Leave a comment with your thoughts on the subject of "Describe don't Define." - See you all in the postings - E :)
I also decided that instead of saying "show don't tell" for stories, the new saying is "Describe don't Define." As a children's author, we are told to not talk down to the readers and I felt like I was being talked down to by this author when she defined things instead of describing them. I felt like she assumed we were stupid and not knowing of the things associated with witches and that is why she had to define them for us. I think as a reader, I'm typically going to read things that interest me and that I do know something about or that I may be writing about.
I don't read sci-fi because it doesn't interest me; I'm not big on a romance but if there is romance in the story, I'm not turned off by it; I enjoy things like Suspense, Thrillers, Mysteries, some paranormal and children's genres. I'm not into werewolves or vampires but enjoy good ghost stories and some witch stories. If the witch story isn't evil and has an element of what true witches are, I'm okay with it.
As far as showing goes, you want the reader to picture in their mind exactly what you are describing and how you see the object. Witches' athames are different as are their familiars and Book of Shadows. Some witches have psychic powers and some have the ability to read Tarot cards with accuracy. Research what it is you want to use in your stories and describe for your readers but don't talk down to them.
Think of a story you've read recently and if the author has described or defined things throughout. Did you feel talked down to or that you were not knowing of the items in the story? Did the author do a good job of making you see the objects in your mind? Do you read a particular author more than others because they use a lot of description in their writings? Leave a comment with your thoughts on the subject of "Describe don't Define." - See you all in the postings - E :)
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Writers On The Move: ACX Update and a n audible.com Tutorial
My latest posting on the ACX process. Stop by, leave a comment and be entered for 2 chances for the crocheted afghan drawing. Comments on this blog and the JGDS blog on all postings between now and the end of June will also receive 2 chances in the drawing. Please remember to leave me an email address so that I can contact you to get more information such as mailing info to send your tickets to as well as if you are the winner the afghan to. Drawing will be around the 1st of December after all events for the year are completed. Comments on the WOTM for today's posting only will be entered in the drawing.
Writers On The Move: ACX Update and a n audible.com Tutorial: The last known activity on both books - State of Successes and Finally Home - was that the books were submitted as finalized by me on June ...
Writers On The Move: ACX Update and a n audible.com Tutorial: The last known activity on both books - State of Successes and Finally Home - was that the books were submitted as finalized by me on June ...
Tuesday, June 04, 2013
Finally Home Audio
I've approved everything, gotten the cover for the audio books and now it is in the hands of ACX to finalize everything. Here is what the audio cover looks like:
I'm trying to figure out how to add the sample audio file so that I can start promoting the audio version, but have yet to figure that out. As soon as I do, the audio file will be on the sidebar of my blog. Once you hear the sample file, how about dropping by Sienna Beckman's website and leaving her a note on what a great job she has done.
Audio books are available through amazon.com, audible.com and itunes. So hopefully within the next day or two this will go live. See you all in the postings - E :)
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