Thank you to everyone who came out to the John Q Hammons center in Rogers Arkansas this last weekend. I hope you enjoy your books! It was such a pleasure to meet all my new friends and get re-acquainted with old friends!
If you have a few moments after you've finished reading your new adventure in Mere or with Amelia, I'd love to know what you thought. Just leave me your honest review on Goodreads, Amazon and/or Barnes and Noble.com. Can't wait to see you all next year!!
Keep checking back often. I hope to get to work on my newest story and will post updates when I have them.
Monday, October 17, 2016
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Book Signing Event!
Tomorrow (Friday) is the big day! Come see me and get your signed copy of one of my books. I'll have Mere Enchantment, Rings of Enchantment and Whispers of Death at my booth. I'll be at the John Q Hammons center in Rogers Arkansas (right next door to Embassy Suites) from 9-9. I'll also be there the same time on Saturday!
Monday, September 19, 2016
Author Signing Event
I'll be at the Ozark Craft Fair at the John Q Hammons center in Rogers Arkansas again this year with all three of my books. Make your plans now to come get your own personal copy!
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
The honesty of a writer
For many months now, I have really struggled with all things books. Reading, writing, and anything in between. I couldn't find the motivation to do something I usually love. Just the thought of even reading a book was depressing. I think because I felt so much pressure in releasing my last two books that the thought of starting another was daunting. Even though I have begun another book, I am having difficulty throwing myself into the story. With school out for the summer, I used it as an excuse to keep on ignoring my characters and any other books.
A few weeks ago I decided it was time to wake up and restart my engine, so to speak. I went to my local library with my boys and for the first time in months, checked out a book. It happened to be by one of my favorite authors of children's books, Brandon Mull. Sky Raiders seemed like a perfect choice to bounce me back into the game. It had been on my To Be Read list for sometime.
I quickly opened the pages and began reading. After the first chapter, I was enticed, but still my mind wouldn't allow me the escape I was looking for. I put the book down in frustration. I kept trying, even renewing the book, twice. Chapter by chapter I continued. My mind still forcing the beautifully written book from my mind.
After weeks of trying and still only about 5 chapters in, I had almost given up. The book had now become a permanent fixture on my shelf. One day as I passed by it for the millionth time, I decided to sit down and try again. I tuned out the sounds around me, sat back in my comfy chair and opened the book. I soon found myself lost in the story line, wanting to know more. A couple days later I closed the book for the last time and have already placed a hold on the next book. After a couple more weeks, I have now completed three more books.
I'm still not back to 100% but I can feel the stories forming again. I'm hoping that I've finally found myself reaching the top of the rut and can now begin a new chapter. Literally.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Did you leave a review?
Every time I want to go see a movie, the first thing I look at are the reviews. Did people enjoy the movie? Would it be worth the $10-$12 per ticket to go see it or should I wait and get it for $1-$2 in Redbox? Reviews from others are what gives me the insight I need, in order to make a good decision. Even though people have different opinions I can still read those reviews and develop my own opinion.
It is the same with book reviews. They will help guide your friends, family, and others to know whether or not it's worth their time. They are especially important for Indie (self-published) authors. Without those reviews, Indie authors will struggle to get their book noticed.
I came across a website by Trish Milburn (http://www.trishmilburn.com/why-book-reviews-are-important-to-authors/) that describes the reason we need to leave reviews. I have listed her steps below.
1. We live in a world where people are much more likely to vent online if they hate something than to post something nice if they enjoyed it. Sad but true. So if you have 100 people read a book and 98 love it but only the two who thought it was garbage post a review, guess what. People who come across that book on a retailer’s site are going to think it’s garbage. They won’t know about the 98 people who thought it was a wonderful story with engaging characters. Those negative reviews could keep people who might enjoy the book from buying it, depriving the author of sales that are necessary to help pay his or her bills.
2. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, authors look for good opportunities to get the word out about their books. Sometimes online advertising venues have requirements such as a certain number of positive reviews on retailer sites before they will even consider selling you an ad. The same is often true of book review sites, especially if those sites are popular and have a lot of clout among readers.
3. I feel like a larger number of reviews, especially positive ones, helps books get seen on sites such as Amazon.com. We authors have heard about the mysterious algorithms that determine which books pop up on things such as the “you might also enjoy this” suggestions, but we don’t know what aspects of our books are weighted more heavily than others. Visibility is important in a marketplace flooded with books, so every little bit helps. I have seen mentioned elsewhere that it takes 10 reviews on Amazon before a book can be added to those “also bought” and “you might also like” lists, so my goal is to have at least that many for each of my books. But the more, the merrier.
4. Word of mouth. If someone sees a positive review of a book and decides to give it a try, he or she might also enjoy it enough to not only leave a review but also tell their friends about it. We’ve all heard stories about how word of mouth sent a book from obscurity to the bestseller list. Sure, it’s a long shot, but it’s better than no shot.
Writing a review, as you can see, has many advantages to everyone. I know that time is precious, and these days it seems like people have less and less time. So I ask, please take a few minutes after you've read a book and leave a review. Even if all you can do is give it a star rating that helps too. Thank you to those who have already left reviews for any or all of my books. I truly am grateful. If you have read my books, and haven't had a chance to write that important review, please go to the Buy Me tab, click on the links and write your honest review. They truly help!
It is the same with book reviews. They will help guide your friends, family, and others to know whether or not it's worth their time. They are especially important for Indie (self-published) authors. Without those reviews, Indie authors will struggle to get their book noticed.I came across a website by Trish Milburn (http://www.trishmilburn.com/why-book-reviews-are-important-to-authors/) that describes the reason we need to leave reviews. I have listed her steps below.
1. We live in a world where people are much more likely to vent online if they hate something than to post something nice if they enjoyed it. Sad but true. So if you have 100 people read a book and 98 love it but only the two who thought it was garbage post a review, guess what. People who come across that book on a retailer’s site are going to think it’s garbage. They won’t know about the 98 people who thought it was a wonderful story with engaging characters. Those negative reviews could keep people who might enjoy the book from buying it, depriving the author of sales that are necessary to help pay his or her bills.
2. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, authors look for good opportunities to get the word out about their books. Sometimes online advertising venues have requirements such as a certain number of positive reviews on retailer sites before they will even consider selling you an ad. The same is often true of book review sites, especially if those sites are popular and have a lot of clout among readers.
3. I feel like a larger number of reviews, especially positive ones, helps books get seen on sites such as Amazon.com. We authors have heard about the mysterious algorithms that determine which books pop up on things such as the “you might also enjoy this” suggestions, but we don’t know what aspects of our books are weighted more heavily than others. Visibility is important in a marketplace flooded with books, so every little bit helps. I have seen mentioned elsewhere that it takes 10 reviews on Amazon before a book can be added to those “also bought” and “you might also like” lists, so my goal is to have at least that many for each of my books. But the more, the merrier.
4. Word of mouth. If someone sees a positive review of a book and decides to give it a try, he or she might also enjoy it enough to not only leave a review but also tell their friends about it. We’ve all heard stories about how word of mouth sent a book from obscurity to the bestseller list. Sure, it’s a long shot, but it’s better than no shot.
Writing a review, as you can see, has many advantages to everyone. I know that time is precious, and these days it seems like people have less and less time. So I ask, please take a few minutes after you've read a book and leave a review. Even if all you can do is give it a star rating that helps too. Thank you to those who have already left reviews for any or all of my books. I truly am grateful. If you have read my books, and haven't had a chance to write that important review, please go to the Buy Me tab, click on the links and write your honest review. They truly help!
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Best Cover Nomination!
Whispers of Death has recently been nominated for Best Cover of 2015 for Paranormal/Horror over at New LDS Fiction! Click the link below to cast your vote!! Voting ends January 23rd at midnight!!
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