Pretty Witches All in a Row Free Giveaway
Inspired by fellow authors Beth Muscat and Barry Parham’s recent success with free giveaways, I decided to give it a shot and try a short promo for this weekend. The first stumbling block was trying to figure out how to give my books away instead of charging for them. I knew there must be a way to do it, I see free books on both Barnes and Noble and Amazon all the time, but it looked like the minimum I could charge was $.99 unless I dropped it on Smashwords and waited for the other two to detect it and follow. Then Mike Saxton clued me in to the fact that you can have up to 5 free promo days when you’re listed on KDP select.
Since I already have Pretty Witches on KDP Select, it was a simple task to set it up for the free giveaway and the experiment began! First I wanted to let it run on Friday and see if any response was generated without me promoting it at all. Lying in bed this morning, I checked the numbers (gotta love smart phones!) and nearly choked at seeing over four hundred downloads from the US and over a hundred in the UK, even thirteen in Germany! Just in the time it’s taken me to get up and get ready for work, it’s gone up to over 860 downloads combined!
Pretty Witches All in a Row is currently ranked #382 in the free kindle books section, #1 for Police Procedurals and #7 for Occult. Holy crapweasels! And this is without any promotion and it only being eight a.m. on the west coast!
I know it’s free and I’m not earning anything, but honestly, at this point in my writing career it’s more about getting the books out there to the people than making much money on it and I’m excited by the response.
So, if any of you have been thinking about reading one of my books, Pretty Witches All in a Row will be free through Amazon through the end of this Sunday March 4th. Here’s the premise, check it out!
Someone is picking off a coven of witches one by one. Can Sgt. Nick Gibson and his team of detectives catch the killer before he loses the pretty witch who’s got him under her spell?
Nick must cast aside his disbelief and delve into the world of the supernatural to solve the case. On hand to help is Annaliese, a member of the coven who claims to have had a prophetic dream at the exact time of each victim’s death, offering clues to the identity of the killer. Can he accept the ‘proof’ offered by unconventional means or is she deliberately leading him astray to hide her own secrets? To cloud the issue, a local evangelist is telling anyone who asks that the victims had it coming. Is religious mania the motive for murder, or is it something more personal?
Find it here on Amazon to get your free copy!
March Resolutions
I’ve safely made it through the first two months, and I’m proud to say, I haven’t broken yet! January was exercise 5 days a week and I’m still doing it without missing a week. February was giving up fried foods and I’m still on track there too. Mostly because I ate way too many sweets in anticipation of… March, where I’m giving up all baked desserts. No more cookies, cakes, pies, donuts… I’m starting to depress myself! I can still have chocolate and ice cream tho, and that’s how I’ll celebrate the upcoming birthday madness around the house.
In other news, I’m close to releasing Mercy for the Damned, it’s in the last half of edits then off to proofreading. So, hopefully that’ll be out in the next couple of weeks. I’m hoping to finish my Push fanfic before I start on my next book Let Sleeping Ghosts Lie too so I don’t stretch myself too thin. Balance… must learn balance…
In other, other news… okay this isn’t really news but I am so ready for spring to get here! It’s been in the 30′s this week with the car icing over every night. That’s crazy! I can’t wait for a little warmer weather so I can put my heavy winter coat away. What about you guys? What’s your favorite season?
Vote For Cover Art – Mercy for the Damned
It’s that time again to give me your thoughts and feedback on the cover art for my new book coming out this month, Mercy for the Damned. Anyone who comments on the covers on the website will be automatically entered for a chance to win a copy of one of my books (your choice of books).
Please remember that this will be mostly seen against a white background on Amazon.com, since that is where I sell the most. I’d also love to hear constructive criticism and ideas for how to improve them if you have any suggestions. Please keep in mind that they have to be not only eye-catching, but easy to identify when much smaller in ads and for sale on websites.
Here is a little blurb of what the book is about:
“You’d think having an angel come to visit you would be a good thing. So why did I feel like everything was about to get ten times worse as one knelt before me?”
Mercy’s saga continues with Mercy for the Damned, Book III of The Fallen. When a new prophecy predicts a great evil if a fallen angel is allowed to remain in Midian, Mercy will move heaven and earth to free Adam from his deal with Raum. The trouble is, it’s far easier to get into Midian than it is to get out, and Adam is perfectly happy to serve out the remainder of his sentence if it keeps Mercy safe from harm. Throw in some pressure from the police who suspect Sam and Mercy of eliminating Ben, and the race is on to rescue both of them before it’s too late.
A Taste of Mercy for the Damned
I’m done with my first round of edits for Mercy for the Damned, and now I get a little breathing room while my editing team takes over. I thought I’d share an excerpt from what’s been keeping me busy for the past month and a half.
I slipped out of the car, hurrying across the street to follow after the dark figure whose absence of a soul marked him a demon.
He turned off the sidewalk into an alley and as soon as my eyes adjusted to the change in light, I realized I couldn’t see him anymore. Figuring my cover was blown, and he could see me better than I could see him in the shadows, I changed tactics, slowing my step to draw him out. “Come out, come out, wherever you are…” I called out in a sing song voice.
“All alone are we?” came from up high, maybe on top of the dumpster, it was hard to tell. “A bit dangerous for the likes of you, ain’t it?”
I knew my Grace would be too much temptation for him to pass by, and I suppressed a smile as I recognized his gravely voice. “I can handle myself.”
The demon himself stepped out of the shadows, all casual as if he held all the cards. Still dressed shabbily like one of the unwashed homeless, he’d added a ratty bowler to the ensemble. “If you need a bit of protection, just ask old Cephas. I’ll keep you safe from the other rabble for a taste now and then.” He smiled, showing the sharp teeth I sometimes still dreamt about, but I gathered my courage around me. I wasn’t the same girl who he’d met on the church steps months ago.
“Who says I need protection? Do you see me quaking in my boots?” my chin came up in challenge.
“I ‘ear your boy is in chains under Raum’s boot. I ‘ear your boy bleeds real pretty-like,” he chortled, and I got a flash of an image I’d been trying to ignore ever since Adam left.
“Okay, you know what? I’m done playing.” I wasn’t there to verbally spar with the scumbag, I was after some answers.
So Far, So Good
Seems to be the theme of the day. Week four of the new year is done, and I’ve kept to phase one of my New Year’s resolution of exercising 5 days a week. They say you develop a habit by doing something consistently for 21 days, so I’m hopeful this is now a habit that’ll stick with me for a long time. Phase two will be to give up fried foods. This one’s gonna hurt, as I love me some french fries. But, I’m still inspired to get healthier this year, so I’m motivated to give it a try.
Mercy for the Damned is coming along well. I’m just shy of the 50K mark, and Mercy is really in the thick of things now. She’s got Adam back, but not without a price, and they still have to rescue Ben and get Azazael out of him without releasing him completely. But they have a plan and the second jaunt into Midian is just about to get off the ground.
I’ve also got a book giveaway going for Wake Me When the Sun Goes Down through Goodreads. You can check it out here, I’m giving away two print copies of the book, the giveaway runs through February 17th. I’m working on getting some cool bookmarks printed up to give away with them too.
So far not so good is the Kindle lending library. I signed up Pretty Witches All in a Row, and have lent a whopping 3 copies so far this year. So far that’s not very worth it for having to remove it from Barnes and Noble and Smashwords, since Amazon demands they have sole distribution rights for the ebook. So, I probably won’t do that again when the period is up.
Wake Me When The Sun Goes Down is now available in print!
The first book in my new vampire series Forged Bloodlines is available through Amazon.com in print! To celebrate, here is another little excerpt that takes place after Bishop has brought Anja back to his place to decide what to do with her.
“You live here?” I asked in surprise, stepping deeper into the room, my eyes lighting on the grand piano tucked incongruously into the corner. Bishop seemed content to leave me to explore on my own, heading straight for the kitchen counter, which was littered with tactical gear and electronic gadgets I didn’t recognize.
“Yes.”
“Huh, I would have thought you’d have a place underground, not on the top floor.” I went to the window and looked down to the quiet street below. There were also a bakery and a book store in the same building and a bank across the street.
“There isn’t a basement in the building, and it would have attracted too much attention at the time I bought the place to have one excavated,” he replied, pulling off his jacket and tossing it at a coat hook mounted to the wall. With the jacket off, I could see he had several weapons strapped to his body, and with as close as I’d been to him, I wondered why I hadn’t noticed at the time. While I watched, he unstrapped them all, laying the holsters neatly along the breakfast bar.
“You own the whole building?” For some reason that struck me as odd, vampires owning property, but it made sense. Better to be your own landlord than risk someone snooping through your private affairs.
“I do, as well as the one across the street. And no, I wouldn’t rather sleep in the vault. This place suits me just fine.”
“What about the sun? Isn’t that a problem?”
Bishop picked up a small electronic device. “Not for the prepared. I have automatic shutters at every window, they block out the light. Come here for a minute, I want to check something.”
I obeyed him without question, curious to see what he had in his hands. “What is that thing?”
“I want to test your blood.” He held his hand out for mine, sticking my finger into a little lead attached to the box. It reminded me a little of the thing they use to check the oxygen in your blood at the doctor’s office.
“Will it hurt? Ow!” I scowled at the prick of the needle; the machine at the doctor’s never did that.
“Oh, it’s not that bad,” he chuckled, releasing my hand. I snatched it back to inspect the damage, but my body had already healed the pinprick.
“What are you testing for?” I leaned closer to study the readout, but it was all Greek to me. “Bishop?” I prompted when he didn’t reply.
“That can’t be right. Give me your other hand.”
“I’m pretty sure the same blood is running through that hand as this one,” I frowned, handing over the other one, bracing myself for the sting. Once again, there wasn’t a trace of the wound as soon as I pulled my hand free. “What does it say?” I asked, when he frowned over the display.
