Month: August 2013

Head Over Heels a Bargain Book at Canadian Amazon!

I was just surfing around the other day and discovered that Amazon Canada has discounted the trade paperback edition of HEAD OVER HEELS to less than $4.50! For a trade paperback!

I have no idea how long the discount has been occurring, how long it will continue, or why Amazon Canada decided to earmark HEAD OVER HEELS a Bargain Book in the first place. Kinda cool that they did, though!

The price changes daily, depending on the U.S. exchange rate, because the trade paperbacks are published in the U.S. and shipped to Amazon Canada a few copies at a time for order fulfillment. Today, the price sits at $4.39. That’s a savings of 47% over the regular retail price, nearly 4 bucks!

Yep, if you’re Canadian, you can order my book and even get free shipping if you have enough other books in your order, then still have enough left over from your savings on HEAD OVER HEELS to drive down to Timmie’s and grab some yummy doughnut holes.

Update on BORROWING ALEX Re-Issue

We are coming along!

I finished the updates (to 2013 attitudes and technology) and revisions—as a result of changes in my writing style over the years—to BORROWING ALEX, including the addition of a couple of new scenes, a few days ago. (Gosh, that sentence is full of parentheticals!) Since then, while waiting for a friend to have time to critique the new scenes, which basically amounts to a new ending, I have been scouring photo sites brainstorming new cover ideas. To say that I was not a fan of the original cover for BORROWING ALEX (which can now only be found on used trade paperbacks, if there are any in existence) is putting it mildly. The original cover really had to grow on me. This time around, I want the cover to truly reflect the story, not look like a romantic suspense novel with a pink background to chick-lit it up a bit. BORROWING ALEX is a romantic comedy, and the cover should reflect that while still getting the romance across.

Narrowing down cover concepts is a tough job! But I hope to get the questionnaire filled out for my cover designer next week. She’ll also need the new back cover blurb, so I have to work on that, too. And, once I have the new scenes back from my critique partner, then begins the arduous proofreading process. No matter who you hire to proofread your books, or even if you work with a publisher and the proofreading occurs on their end, you’re usually given the opportunity to approve the proofs, and this is a step that should not be missed. It’s awfully tempting to just “accept all” changes in a proofing document without checking them. And, not only do you have to check the changes the proofreader has made, it’s advisable to re-read the entire book with a careful eye and ear, because proofreaders can miss stuff. Yes, even if you’re paying them.

I like to proofread on my Kindle (after sending my Word document to my Kindle address and they convert it for me). I have an old Kindle Keyboard model, and it’s handy to make notes using the keyboard within the document, which I can then transfer onto the manuscript on my desktop. Following that step, I painstakingly copy and paste scenes and chapters into audio reader software, then listen to the mechanical narrator read my book while I follow the words on-screen. I learned this from proofing audio books. I always proof my audio books while reading along on-screen, and it’s the best way I know to find errors. But it’s tiring and takes a long time.

I’m looking forward to getting BORROWING ALEX back on Amazon before September, barring scheduling issues with my support people (cover designer and formatter). It’s been a long haul, because 2013 has been a crazy year. But finally there’s some light at the end of the tunnel!

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The Cessation of Tuesday Deals

Yesterday marked my last Tuesday Deals column. Click here to check the archives and note which deals remain available (please check expiration dates mentioned in the posts and also please check prices before downloading).

While I enjoyed writing Tuesday Deals, it was an experiment designed to force me to blog more often and get out the word about Indie romance authors. Then, one weekend, I accidentally wrote a column two weeks ahead of time. So I had to write two columns that weekend, one for the Tuesday I was originally supposed and one for the Tuesday two weeks ahead. The upside to this is that I did two weeks of work in one afternoon. The downside is that I spent my entire afternoon working on the columns.

That’s when it hit me. While I enjoy writing the columns, it would likely take several months to build up enough of a following to warrant the time away from my own writing. And, what was a writer with dry eyes following laser surgery and a rotator cuff that is nearly completely healed (but why risk it?) doing blogging about other authors instead of focusing on her writing?

Well, she was being nearsighted, that’s what.

The plain fact of the matter is that readers don’t visit blogs as much as they used. I get much more interaction on Facebook and Twitter than I do on my blog. People might be reading the blog, but they aren’t commenting like they used to before Facebook and Twitter really took off. So, unless I want to be checking blog stats all the time (and I don’t; I haven’t even installed a plug-in, although I guess I should), I have no real way of knowing how many visitors are reading, unless they comment. I think readers feel more comfortable commenting on Facebook and Twitter, because they’re closed networks. A blog is open to everyone. And that’s okay.

Do you know what’s the most important thing an author can do to forward her career?

Write more books.

In the day of the ebook boom, a writer’s production is more important than ever. When readers discover you, they want to read your backlist and look forward to your front list, those books that are coming. I’ve often bemoaned that I’m a slow writer, however, I’m not willing to sacrifice quality to increase my input. And, I write under two names, which means sometimes I have to ignore Cindy to focus on my alter ego. And, when real life interrupts, you can imagine how that might affect a slow writer’s production.

The best thing I can do for myself and my readers is focus on writing more books. Not worry that people aren’t commenting on my blog. Not come up with ideas to force me to blog. Not concern myself with the fact that I haven’t updated my Dear Cindy… Q & A or Articles pages in eons. That maybe I should redesign my website so it doesn’t include those pages, so then they wouldn’t remind me that I haven’t updated them. I can update them when it suits me. I can blog when it suits me. I can interact with the public on the social networks of my choosing. And I can write.

This doesn’t mean I’m completely stopping showcasing other authors on my blog. When I happen to see a deal I think is great, and I have the time, I’ll write up a post. If a writer I admire has a new release, I might write a post. But I’m not going to go looking for deals and I am no longer considering requests. It’s kind of weird that I’m making this decision just when authors are starting to come to me instead of me searching them out. But it’s a decision I need to make.

Deal?

Tuesday Deals: Free and 99 Cent EBooks!

Today I’m featuring two authors with three books between them, all contemporary romance novels with a western bent. One book is FREE and the other two are 99 cents. Please remember to check prices before downloading!

If you’re buying from Amazon Canada, the prices won’t be exactly 99 cents, unless, by some miracle, the exchange rate translates directly when you click. Usually, the book will be just under or over 99 cents. It’s the same deal, just a currency exchange. 🙂 TD_Brashear_Secrets

First up is Jean Brashear’s TEXAS SECRETS, Book 1 in her Texas Heroes: The Gallaghers of Morning Star series. TEXAS SECRETS is FREE on Amazon, Canadian Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and Smashwords!

Up-and-coming chef Maddie Collins finds out that her father’s life was a lie when she is bequeathed a family homeplace she never knew existed—by the husband of the only woman her father ever loved. A former SEAL, rugged cowboy

Boone Gallagher arrives back in Texas to discover that the father who drove him away has struck one last blow. The only place he’s ever thought of as home now belongs to a woman who doesn’t want it, and he must keep her there for thirty days—or it will be lost to them both.

Now FREE on Amazon, Amazon Canada, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and Smashwords!

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TD_Brashear_RootsAlso by Jean Brashear, TEXAS ROOTS, Book 1 in Texas Heroes: The Gallaghers of Sweetgrass Springs, regularly priced at $3.99, is on sale for $.99 until August 15th. That’s two more days, so get clicking! You can find TEXAS ROOTS at Amazon, Amazon Canada, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and Smashwords.

When scandal and an ambitious prosecutor wreck Scarlett Ross’s life and she learns of a grandmother she never knew she had, she flees the notoriety to pay an anonymous visit to Sweetgrass Springs, Texas, a town kept alive only by her grandmother’s determination and carried on the strong shoulders of sexy rancher Ian McLaren. There she is surprised to discover a yearning to sink roots deep in the Texas Hill Country—but she is terrified that the secrets she’s hiding will endanger everyone she’s come to love.

Only 99 cents until August 15th on Amazon, Canadian Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, Kobo, iTunes, and Smashwords!

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TD_Wellington_CowboyThe final offering today is COWBOY FOR SALE by Janet Wellington. COWBOY FOR SALE, regularly priced $2.99, is only 99 cents until the end of August! Find it at Amazon and Canadian Amazon.

SOLD! TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER

Salon manager Lacey Murdock has to find a handsome single cowboy fast—one willing to be auctioned off—for charity, of course! So, Lacey goes cowboy hunting in San Diego’s most popular country music club and runs smack into Jared Dillon. Tall, dark, and definitely handsome, Jared’s the kind of man any woman would want to date—and he’s perfect for the auction. Too bad he’s married.

Or is he?

At the auction Lacey’s bachelor cowboy is a no-show, and Jared steps in at the last minute to save the day. When a mystery woman drives up the bidding and wins Jared, Lacey can’t help but think she’s lost a golden opportunity.

Or has she?

Then the winner donates the prize to Lacey—and she’s off for a romantic Dream Date weekend with a man she just might be beginning to love…

COWBOY FOR SALE, only 99 cents on Amazon until August 31st!

Amazon

Canadian Amazon

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In case you’re wondering why there are only three Tuesday Deals this week instead of four, return to the blog tomorrow and I’ll tell you. 😉

Head Over Heels on Kindle Books and Tips

KBT_icon_512-300x300HEAD OVER HEELS is featured on Kindle Books and Tips today. Check it out! It’s the fourth listed book in the blog post.

My name is spelled wrong, but I’m working to get that rectified. Yes, I remain on my mission to see Procter spelled with an E!

You can like Kindle Books and Tips on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. If you see the post with my book, please feel free to share (Facebook) or retweet (Twitter).

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Tuesday Deals: Free and 99 Cent Romance Ebooks

Welcome back to Tuesday Deals! This week I’m featuring romantic suspense and historical romance novels, a perma-free erotic romance short novella, and a three-author sports-themed contemporary romance boxed set. All the novels and the boxed set are are available for a limited time for 99 cents. Happy downloading, and remember to double-check the prices at your favorite e-tailer before you buy.

*Also please note, for those who shop at Amazon.ca, the prices don’t translate exactly. A book on sale on Amazon.com for 99 cents might be .98 cents at Amazon.ca or $1.01, depending on the exchange rate at the time.

RachelGrantWe begin with CONCRETE EVIDENCE by Rachel Grant, a 100,00-word romantic suspense available for only 99 cents until around mid-August on Amazon, Amazon Canada, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple iTunes and Smashwords. CONCRETE EVIDENCE is regularly priced at $3.99.

A year ago she lost everything. Now she wants revenge…

Accused of stealing artifacts from a five-hundred-year-old shipwreck, underwater archaeologist Erica Kesling is determined to clear her name. She’s concealed her past and taken a job certain to give her access to the buyer of the missing antiquities. She’s finally closing in on her goal when she’s distracted by a sexy, charismatic intern who makes her want something other than revenge.

But Lee Scott is no intern. He’s looking for the lead conspirator in an international artifact smuggling scheme, and Erica is his prime suspect. He’ll do whatever it takes to win her trust and get her to reveal her secrets, even seduce her.

As Erica and Lee struggle to conceal their real agendas, the one thing they can’t hide is the attraction that burns hot between them. When Erica’s quest puts her life in jeopardy, Lee must choose between old loyalties and a woman he never expected to fall for.

Available for a limited time for $.99 on Amazon, Amazon Canada, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple iTunes and Smashwords!

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LindaBarlowNext, Linda Barlow’s historical romance, FIRES OF DESTINY, regularly priced at $4.99, is on sale for 99 cents from August 5th – 11th at Amazon, Amazon Canada, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.

*As it’s the 6th, FIRES OF DESTINY should be on sale. But remember to double-check before buying.

Alix Douglas and Roger Trevor loved each other as children. But Roger’s ten-year odyssey as a mercenary and seafarer has transformed him into an enigmatic stranger, haunted by his past and entangled in a lethal web of intrigue and deception.

Instantly drawn by the dark and dangerous ex-pirate, Alix hopes he will approve their fathers’ plan to unite his estates with hers. But Roger wants her on his own terms, which do not include marriage.

Dangerous to know…

When Alix becomes lady-in-waiting to the Catholic Queen Mary Tudor and Roger sides with the persecuted heretics, the two lovers must confront each other as enemies at a treacherous court where no one is quite what they seem.

Torn between a heart that yearns to trust Roger and a head that fears him capable of murder and treason, Alix fights a forbidden love that threatens to rip her away from family, friends, queen and country and plunge her into mortal danger.

New, revised edition of a classic, award-winning romance.

When the original version of this historical romance was originally published in 1986, Linda Barlow received the Romantic Times award as New Historical Romance Author of the Year. Fires of Destiny was also a finalist for the Rita Award from Romance Writers of America.

On sale for 99 cents until August 11th at Amazon, Amazon Canada, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.

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ShoshannaEversShoshanna Evers’s short novella, TASTE OF CANDY, also previously published, is now permanently FREE at Amazon, Amazon Canada, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Smashwords!

Candace “Candy” Bryce can’t believe her good luck when she wins a dinner date with Dave Roads, the lead singer of a hot new rock band. Not only is Dave a veritable rock star, he’s drop dead gorgeous—and he’s taking it as a personal challenge to be the first man to give Candy an orgasm.

Dave discovers that all Candy needs to come is some ties, some toys, and his merciless desire to discover exactly what Candy tastes like…

Perma-FREE at Amazon, Amazon.ca, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Smashwords.

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PlayHard-RIR-coverRounding up, V.K. Sykes, Juliana Stone, and Jennifer Lyon have teamed up to offer three full-length, sexy sports romances in their boxed set, PLAY HARD. Regularly priced $3.99, PLAY HARD is now only $.99 until the end of August at Amazon, Amazon Canada, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and iTunes.

FASTBALL, by V.K. Sykes: Book one in the USA Today Bestselling series, The Philadelphia Patriots.

Baseball reporter Maddie Leclair has spent years chasing her dream job—covering the Philadelphia Patriots major league baseball team. But in order to make it to the top tier of sports reporting, she needs to score an interview with the most private and elusive athlete in baseball, Patriots’ superstar Jake Miller.

On the rebound from a devastating injury, the last thing Jake needs is a pushy female reporter distracting him. But one look at Maddie and he finds himself trying for a different kind of play, one that involves bedrooms and not baseball stats. Sleeping together could damage both their careers, and Maddie is all about saying no. But when it comes to the game of love, Jake is playing to win.

OFFSIDE, by Juliana Stone: Book one in The Barker Triplets trilogy.

When hockey phenom Billie-Jo Barker returns home and decides to play in the local Friday night hockey league, all hell breaks loose. Not because Billie’s talent is in question, but because Billie is a woman. And though these are modern times, some of the local guys still have a problem letting a girl into their ‘men’s club.’

Soon, Billie is at the center of a small town battle of the sexes, with everyone choosing sides. Her sisters. The townsfolk. Her friends. And yet, the only person whose opinion she cares about doesn’t seem to care much at all. Logan Forest, the man who broke her heart when she was eighteen and the man she now shares the bench with every Friday night.

She’s got a lot to prove and though Billie Jo Barker scores on the ice, will this girl ever score with the man of her dreams?

THE PROPOSITION, by Jennifer Lyon: The Proposition is book one of three in The Plus One Chronicles Trilogy.

Rich, sexy and volatile, Sloane Michaels has a dark agenda that keeps his heart on ice. His extreme wealth gives him the control he craves and his skills as an ex UFC fighter the tools he’ll need to extract his ultimate revenge. But when the woman he never believed he’d see again crosses his path, Sloane is caught between the vengeance he needs and a sexual conquest he craves.

Kat Thayne has been in survival mode for six years, hiding behind the sweet creations for her bakery. But when a random carjacking brings her face-to-face with her darkest fears and hottest fantasy, Kat is forced out of hiding and offered a dangerously passionate proposition. One she knows she isn’t strong enough to refuse.

PLAY HARD, available until the end of August for 99 cents at Amazon, Canadian Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and iTunes!