Monday, June 30, 2014

Tryon Palace and Gardens

Since Wednesday is the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, I decided to post something light and fun today.

Recently, Sherry Ellis of Gone Gardening posted about Tryon Palace and Gardens in New Bern. I’ve been there several times, both with family and our local photo club, and taken A LOT of photos. It’s a beautiful place and I’d like to share some images:







This image is one of the stock images for sale at my Spunk On A Stick site. (And thanks to everyone who checked out my new site last week. Transferring my domain name this week and then everything will be set!)

Inspired by any images lately?

Monday, June 23, 2014

Where to Find Royalty Free Music and Brand New Website!

Today. I’m going to send you two places.

First, I am posting at the Insecure Writer’s Support Group with a list of royalty free music sites and what to look for.

The second place I am really excited about! After working on it for weeks, my new website is up and running:



It’s streamlined now - eliminated some unnecessary junk. The stock photo page is snazzy - click on an image to bring up the full version with the title and size, plus you can scroll through all of them. I also have a sample page in the book formatting section.

Both links open in a separate window, so if you could let me know what you think of my new site and visit the IWSG site, I’d appreciate it.

Monday, June 16, 2014

The Battle Between Hachette and Amazon

The battle continues between Amazon and Hachette over eBook pricing. This continues to have a ripple effect across the industry, and others are getting involved.

Independent booksellers have joined the battle, along with Hachette author Stephen Colbert, with a campaign against Amazon.

From The Guardian:


“Independent booksellers in America are weighing into the dispute between Amazon and Hachette with a series of banners telling potential customers "Thanks, Amazon, the indies will take it from here", while comedian and Hachette author Stephen Colbert is urging his viewers to plaster their books with "I didn't buy it on Amazon" stickers.

“The disagreement between the retail giant and the publisher, which is believed to be over terms, has been played out in public since early last month, and has seen Amazon.com delay delivery on more than 5,000 Hachette titles, according to the publisher, including books by Malcolm Gladwell, JD Salinger and James Patterson. It has also removed the possibility of pre-ordering books by authors including JK Rowling, whose forthcoming Robert Galbraith crime novel The Silkworm is not available on the site.”

Many titles have been removed or marked unavailable, both for order or pre-orders. The delays in ordering have affected both customers and authors alike.

From The Book Seller:

“Jeffery Deaver and James Patterson are among the authors affected by slow delivery times, and both have weighed in on their Facebook accounts.

“Patterson said: “Currently, Amazon is making it difficult to order many books from Little, Brown and Grand Central, which affects readers of authors such as Malcolm Gladwell, Nicholas Sparks, Michael Connelly, me, and hundreds of others whose living depends on book sales. What I don’t understand about this particular battle tactic is how it is in the best interest of Amazon customers. It certainly doesn’t appear to be in the best interest of authors.”

Meanwhile, there are those who stand to benefit from the fracas.

From Barron’s:

“Amazon’s standoff with suppliers is an opportunity for Barnes & Noble. Currently, Amazon.com is not accepting orders for titles from Hachette authors, including J.K. Rowling and Michael Connelly, following continued disputes on e-book pricing. In addition, they are not accepting preorders for key Warner Bros. (TWX – $68.92 – NR) titles, such as The Lego Movie, in a separate supplier dispute. The standoffs highlight Barnes & Noble’s value to publishers, as it remains the only alternative book outlet to Amazon.com, and is critical in both the sale and marketing of their books.” - Maxim’s John Tinker and Kevin Rippey

Where do you stand on the Hachette-Amazon battle?

Monday, June 09, 2014

List of Book Genre Sites for Reviews, Readers, Interviews, and More

Readers are always on the lookout for sites that cater to their favorite genre of books. These sites are also valuable to writers and authors, because this is where we want fans to find our books.

Below is a list of sites for several different genres - fan sites, reviews, interviews, author and book information, and more!

YA








Mystery








Romance







Horror





Science Fiction








I’d like to thank The Geek Twins - I won their Caption Contest last week! Humor is not my thing, so I was really surprised when my caption was voted the best.


Wednesday, June 04, 2014

The Insecure Writer's Support Group, Champion of Flight, and Secrets of Honor

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, hosted by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh. Don’t forget to check out the Facebook IWSG, too.

I took the past few weeks off to reassess some goals and tackle a few projects. I’m still working on those objectives, including redesigning and moving my website, but it’s coming together.

On the writing front, I’m excited about a couple projects. I taught my publish and promote seminars on Monday, and nothing is more invigorating than being around excited author hopefuls. They inspire me, and I learn from them, too.

Sometimes we need that–to get around the excitement again and remember why we started this crazy journey.

I’m excited to tackle writing again–are you?


Just released -

Champion in Flight by Tyrean Martinson

Clara won the battle for Septily, but her battle isn’t over.

Champion in Flight is the second book in The Champion Trilogy.

Find Champion in Flight at Smashwords Amazon Goodreads





More details and other new releases at The Circle of Friends blog.


Cover reveal -

Secrets of Honor by Carol Kilgore 

Once upon a time, there was a jewel thief. Her name was Katia. She worked for The Government. Yes, that government. But one day, Kat took something she shouldn’t have. She really shouldn't have done that.

You can connect with Carol and her books here:
Blog Website Facebook Twitter Goodreads Amazon