The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful!

The bad first--  summer vacation is over.

From the story, Hooway for Wodney Wat

It was not long enough. Now don't get me wrong, starting a new school year is exciting and being a part of a Leader in Me school is even more exciting!  That is also part of the good....

The Beautiful:


1. I just signed a contract on my 3rd Mendel novel, The Power Stone of Alogol through World Castle Publishing. I will let you know how that progresses.  (Exciting!)

2. I have finished preparing another novel, Portals, a fantasy, for submission. (If you like cats and dogs, you'll like this one!)  I am also working on editing another story that is a science fiction. So much to do, but things are moving along!    

3. I am also now part of a writer's group in Knoxville; one that I hope I will help me understand the marketing aspects of this business better.

4. Another Kindle book give-away is coming up on Friday, August 26th. If you didn't get a copy of The Mendel Experiment, this is a chance for you to get one. (And hopefully review it on Amazon, Goodreads or another reviewing body.)  

Last day for my July promotion!  Get The Mendel Experiment for free today!  When you are finished, I would really appreciate a review.  Thanks and enjoy!

http://ebookdaily.com/free-kindle-ebooks/2016-07-22/B00U4HLEUY



If the link won't work, please cut and paste into your address bar.


     

Working on a new book and keeping up with a blog....

Writing, working, and keeping up with a blog is (for me) like walking and chewing gum at the same time. It's kind of hard. Especially as I get older.

I vowed I wasn't going to let so much time go by between blog entries, but I did. No excuses. I am excited that I have still had some opportunity to do several things.

1. I made it to summer vacation!

  Me, on June 1st. 

2. Finish the editing of one of my new stories- Portals. Still in progress, but getting closer!

 This is the main character, TB. 

3. Finish getting my 3rd Mendel story in my computer. (I find opportunities to write anywhere I can and the end of this story is in a notebook.)  Almost there!

4. I created a PowerPoint ad right before school let out. It was for my book, The Mendel Experiment, and I posted it on YouTube. I liked the results so much that I want to do another one. Or more. Here is the address for the one I created. I really am quite proud of it.  ↓ ↓ ↓

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Zc9i9Nnx5E&feature=youtu.be

Anyway, that is a partial list. Hopefully, the remainder of the summer will be happy, restful, while at the same time productive. I also hope everyone who reads this has a wonderful summer. 

Oh, and if you haven't tried one of my books, they're still there!   

http://www.amazon.com/Susan-Kite/e/B00J91G0ZU/

If you have read any of them, could you please go to Amazon and do a quick and honest review? I would really appreciate it. There are reasons why they are very important to authors. (That is another blog entry...)

My most recent- sci fi

                          

The first in the Mendel series

My first book- historical fiction

How Real Life Affects an Author


I guess I should say, how real life affects this author. Can't really speak for other authors.

A little over a week ago, my husband had heart valve replacement at Parkwest Hospital in Knoxville. Thankfully, it was the newer procedure, called TAVR or TAVI. TAVR procedure

Despite the fact that it is much less invasive, it is still a procedure that deals with the heart, so it was still scary. Amazing what a little-bitty valve does for a guy, though. His color was so much better after surgery.

Anyway, sitting in the surgery waiting room; sitting in the CCU waiting room (he was in cardiac intensive care for almost two days), or sitting in a motel room waiting should afford excellent opportunity for story writing....


Wrong!  

Parkwest Hospital

Now don't think me totally unproductive. I did get some writing, some editing, and some marketing (that part can become rote so that was an easy option) done, but worry and a sore bum does something to one's creativity.

Anyway, playing the safer course and staying home with my precious better half until things get regulated. (There was a good reason he got the TAVR! Most don't qualify, sad to say.) That has been harder for him, I think, than recovering in the hospital.

So, while trying to help him, I work on what I can, hoping that some lovely muse decides to visit. I leave you with a nice soothing picture

Muffet, playing in packing paper. She actually lends her personality to the novel I am working on.

.

Reviews,
(oh, please, not the "R" word!)



I have said before that I am a babe in the woods when it comes to marketing my books. My royalties reflect that, (but they are improving, so maybe there's hope.) One thing I have learned is that reviews are the holy grail of sellers, on Amazon especially. (And almost all of us who write have books offered on Amazon. To be honest, it's not just books; I think Noah's ark is probably up on Amazon!)

 In all seriousness, reviews have always been there to help us decide which movies to  see, doctors to go to, (it was word of mouth before we had Angie's List), and so forth.  So it's no wonder we all wish that everyone who has bought our books would trot over  to Amazon and leave a review.

Good reviews fuel more sales, whether on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Goodreads. (I think Amazon has perks for those who generate lots of reviews.) The last movie I saw in a theater came about because I read reviews.


Now I have read about people who cheat to get lots of reviews. There will always be a few of those, sad to say. Those people are small minorities. Most of us are good folks wanting to do the right thing.

So I guess I am asking in a round-about way, please, anytime you read books, could you review them? Even if you didn't buy it off Amazon, you can still go there and leave an honest review. We authors would appreciate it.


(Logos used for diversity. My thanks to the companies...)

What Happened to the Time?

                                   Time flies when you're having fun!    

Recently I realized that over three months has passed since my last blog entry. Four holidays have gone by. The tree has been put up and taken down since then. Christmas vacation is but a fond memory. It is a new year. We have had snow flurries and surfing weather. And my latest novel has been out for over a month, for crying out loud.

It's time (pun intended) to fix this oversight.

Thomas Edison once said of his newly invented phonograph (and I am paraphrasing). 'I want this baby to grow up and support me in my old age.' That is what I like to say about my books. When I do most of my venues, I bring along more than books. I bring my Scentsy products, homemade rugs, and jellies. It usually takes all of those to pay the booth fee and a little more. I feel blessed when I sell more than three books.

This Saturday (January 16th) I was at the Birchwood Crane Days Festival. Been going there for some years, either as a vendor or a volunteer.

I am in here somewhere (out of picture actually).
Courtesy of Cleveland Daily Banner

It was rather chilly inside the gym of the old school, (I was between two of the doors.)  I set up everything and hoped that January was going to be a good month. To my surprise, I sold numerous books. Everything else sort of languished. You can't imagine what a wonderful boost that is to an author. It was a great day!

By the way, I am working on another novel. It is a fantasy about cats and dogs working together to save their human....