Cindy – Page 5 – Muse Interrupted

Just Testing

Never mind me. I’m just testing writing a post after adding HTTPS to my website.

I can’t claim to have a lot of knowledge about techy stuff, but recently I learned about whitelisting or “always approving” (which sounds better, IMO) emails from David Gaughran’s weekly email newsletter for authors. Basically, whitelisting is a way for email users to put you (or me, in this case) on an Approved list so your (er, my) emails don’t wind up in the Spam or Promotions or Junk or dratted Cyber-Goop folders.

Cyber-Goop is sticky, icky stuff. Although, it sounds cute. It should. I just made it up. So don’t go trademarking it on me now.

As it so happens, I want my readers to receive my emails. You know, the ones they signed up for. So today I sent out a stripped-to-the-bones plain Jane email about how to “Always Approve” my email address. If you’re pretty sure you’ve signed up for my email newsletter but have never received it, feel free to hop on over to my brand new handy-dandy Whitelist Instructions page. It opens in a new window but lacks a link back to my website (how did I let that happen?).

The page does have a link to the developers at the bottom, so if you’re an author who would like Whitelist Instructions for your own site, click through and scroll to the bottom for the developer’s link.

No, I’m not writing my email address in this blog post. Whenever I do that, I wind up with robots trying to get jiggy with me. And that just won’t do.

If you want to sign up for my email newsletter, I’d love to have you! But you gotta work just a little bit for it. You have to visit my Contact page (oh, the horror!) and fill out the form that is handily-dandily perched right up top.

If you really, really, really want to email me, there’s an email form on the Contact page right below the Newsletter Signup. Yes, I know, I’m aggravating. Someday, like within the next 8 – 16 months, I’ll bust a move away from my HTML site and onto designing something more mobile-friendly, but for now we’re stuck here.

Other new things around the site:

a Privacy Policy
a new cover and updated info about Head Over Heels!
a new cover and updated info about Borrowing Alex!

Why don’t I post the new covers on the blog? Well, I will. I promise. Just not today. (Although you can glimpse them in the sidebar).

A Thank You to My Readers…

Hey, everyone, let’s face it, there are soooo many fantastic books available to read these days and only so much time…

Sometimes, even when you would dearly love nothing more than to get lost in an emotional story or laugh along with characters who begin to feel like friends as you get to know them, other items top your to-do list.

And some days, some weeks, some months, and, yes, even some years, that to-do list just seems to grow longer and longer. And you begin to wonder when you’ll have time for yourself. To do the things you really want to.

Some years are more challenging than others.

Some days are a breeze, while others are a chore.

I have a TBR pile too. So I know how it is. And, wow, do I have to-do lists! And so do many of my characters, I’ve come to realize. To-do lists, master life plans, kooky missions, and crazy schemes ~ they really do run the gamut.

So, whether you’ve had a chance to take a well-deserved break and read one of my books or my entire library, whether you’ve started a series and are eagerly awaiting more or if you have yet to take a virtual vacation in a CindyPK world, YOU make a difference in my life as an author ~ and I hope I make a difference in yours.

I want to say…THANK YOU for reading my books.

THANK YOU for telling your friends when a story touches you or makes you laugh.

THANK YOU for finding time to leave a review.

Thank you for just being here and sharing my journey. It means so much!

Happy Friday the 13th!

A friend from high school turned 58 today on Friday the 13th! She was born on a Friday the 13th, and, guess what? 5 + 8 = 13. That’s pretty lucky. For years, until I was 13 and met this friend and another born on April 13th, who both set me straight and showed me calendars from the year of our birthday to prove how wrong I was, I thought I was born on a Friday the 13th in January.

Turns out I was born on a Wednesday. My mom had 3 kids close together and couldn’t remember the day of the week I was born. My dad only knew he was working out of town and came home on Wednesdays and Fridays. So I was therefore born on one of those days. Thirteen years of thinking I’d been born on Friday the 13th flew out the window! I had to console myself with being born on the 13th day of the 13th month.

Happy birthday to everyone born on the 13th of a month, but especially to the Friday the 13th babies! It’s not unlucky. We’re a bit weird, but, hey, weird is wonderful. Embrace it!

One Week Since Release – Some Reviews!

Hello, folks.

When it comes to being a romance author in the new millennium, I am a very tiny fish in a gigantic pond. I have been around for some time but have never really “hit.” And I’m still not there. I might never be there. But my goal has always been to build and engage with a base of “true fans.” Folks who honestly connect with my writing and aren’t just buying my books because one happens to be on sale in a bargain newsletter that week. Now, I’m all for bargain eBooks, but some of those newsletters are tough for an author to get into, especially the ones that will really make an impact, even temporarily, on an author’s ability to gain visibility on the electronic storefronts.

You guessed it. I have a tough time getting placements on the most important bargain sites, which is one of the reasons I don’t have sales on my books very often.

Back when I started publishing (as opposed to writing – that came long before), I used to joke with my reader peeps about my “dozen fans.” Those readers on whom I could count to buy a new book come release day. Well, guess what? I have cracked 40. That’s a long way from the 1000 true fans that a creator of content (like writers and musicians) evidently needs to earn a living–but! I have cracked my Faithful Forty! Baby steps, right?

Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered GETTING OVER BRETT or bought the book on release day or during this last week, the first week of the book’s release. I hope you’ve read it already. If you have, I hope you enjoyed it. And please tell your friends. Maybe leave a review. Reviews are extremely important to authors in today’s marketplace.

I was lucky enough to be able to build up some Advanced Reader Reviews for GETTING OVER BRETT, and, on Amazon, the book now has over 50 reviews in a week. I am pretty excited about that. Want to hear some reader reactions to the story? Of course you do, or you wouldn’t have read this far (click away now if you’ve just changed your mind).

5 Stars ~ “Loved the book!!! Never give your heart to someone you know is not ready to give you their all. Loved the book!!!”

5 Stars ~ “I absolutely loved this book and story. It caught my attention from the blurb and definitely hooked me right into the story once I started reading. I couldn’t find anything wrong with this book or story at all, that’s how much I enjoyed reading this book.”

5 Stars ~ “There were parts that made me laugh out loud. The ending was the happily ever after that they both wanted. I really enjoyed this book.”

5 Stars ~ “Love all books from Cindy this was my favorite. Really enjoyed the characters and story line. Also loved the cover of the book.”

Thank you! I love the book cover, too.

Quick Links:

Or check out the cover, blurb, and read an excerpt here.