Mailing List and Paperbacks

I've been struggling with the email list - I've been told, over and over, that it's the one tool I need to really sell books.

I'm not convinced.

First it was a blog, then it was MySpace, Facebook, Twitter...Twitter...Twitter and more Twitter. While sending out a tweet will get hits to Smashwords, sales are another story. As far as getting thousands of people signed up for a mailing list...somehow I just don't see it coming.

However, there HAS been enough local interest in my paperbacks to make me want to publish 'The Emissary' to paperback.

Paperback sales ARE up - thanks to Second Saturday where we've been hawking books for the last 3 years. We've been joined by two other authors - D. A. Lawson who wrote 'Always' and a children's author who's name escapes me at the moment. (I hate it when that happens.)

Going to Create Space is a super, super easy choice. I've had nothing but good luck with them. It's my formatting skills that I'm not so thrilled with.

These are novels of the Zombie Apocalypse, not High Art Literary works.

Actually, this could be great fun.

I need some fun.

Free in Australia & US -- Swallow the Moon

I noticed this last night:

Swallow the Moon - Amazon Australia #FREE!

• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,919 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)

• #8 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Horror > Ghosts

And just a few minutes ago, I noticed it was now free in the US!

Swallow the Moon - Amazon US

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,267 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
#42 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Paranormal > Ghosts
#87 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Holidays

So get your copy, now.

And, if you like the story, please leave a review.

Thanks!

What to Wear to the Zombie Apocalypse II

Foot wear!

If you are racing away from zombies across the ruined streets of America - your Nikes aren't going to hold up for long. Shoes are going to vanish from the shelves in a hurry.

What to do? How to keep from running barefoot over broken glass, or slipping in nasty icky stuff?

Well, there are always spare tires in abandoned cars. If they can get 50,000 miles out of a tire, it might be in your best interest to pick up a hacksaw.

But how?

Well, research tells me that steel belted radials tend to be prickly. So it makes more sense to use either spare tires or the sidewalls. Design...well Jimmy Choo isn't going to come visit you any time soon.

This design looked functional to me.

This shoes look comfortable enough and adjustable, so one could layer socks for warmth in the winter.

In the sequel to 'The Emissary' Beth discovers a group of people who have been burned out, not once, but twice. They are in dire straits, have lost all their supplies and in an area deliberately burned to the ground.

What tears her heart most is a mother's lament over finding clothes for her growing boys. "I've given up on shoes," Liz says with tears in her eyes.

In the course of the story, the McLeod sisters rescue another family, who have been reduced to wrapping their feet with rags.

The McLeod sisters have riding boots, the Davidson men have Army boots -- the plight of the refugees becomes a meeting point for everyone, uniting to help those who are less fortunate.

The best part about the Zombie Apocalypse -- you can always find someone less fortunate.

What to wear to the Zombie Apocalypse:

The Ragged Truth

'Swallow the Moon' News

The good news is that "Swallow the Moon" immediately hit #49 on the FREE Romantic Suspense chart.

The bad new is that I didn't intend it to go free. It looks like I got frustrated with Kobo Writing Life (a seriously flawed interface) because you CAN'T PUT IN A DECIMAL POINT.

So I left the price at ZERO.

That was 2 weeks ago - it must have sold a copy or two - KOBO DOESN'T TRACK FREE BOOKS. So I wouldn't know. Amazon picked it up today.

So I've got a nice bump coming. Maybe for a week, or more.

So go ahead, if you don't have "Swallow the Moon" already - go ahead and pick up a copy.

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #987 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)

• • #37 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Genre Fiction > Romance > Romantic Suspense

 

• •  

Update: 'Swallow the Moon' the Paperback

I've been working on the paperback edition of 'Swallow the Moon' and I'm proud to say that it's coming right along. The cover was uploaded yesterday, the interior needs one more quick read-through. Then it's time for the first proof.

You might ask why make a paperback when e-books are the hot new market? Most people say that e-books are 20% of the present day market. But that's not the whole market - it's just 1/5th of the market.

This week, Dean challenges the assumption that 'Kindle is enough of a market' with "The Reason's for a Trade Paper Edition". Just because e-books are 20% of the market - that doesn't mean you have to turn your back on the 80%.

Makes sense, right?

This fall, as an experiment, I turned 'Let's Do Lunch' into a paperback. Create Space had a good package - for less than $800 they formatted the book, created a cover, got the ISBN, included the book in extended distribution channels and gave me 20 copies. The paperback has sold 9 copies on Amazon since it came available online.

The paperback is paying for itself.

So of course I'm going to do it again. Besides, I have to show off the cover.

Next week - I'll post the paperback cover.

July 1 Update

"Swallow the Moon" trade paperback edition is on sale here. It took a lot longer for me to get it done than I'd thought. Mostly because I've been depressed and grieving about losing Mom.

However long it took - the book is out and I'm starting to get back into the groove.

The Ashtabula Horror

I snagged a link to this video today because it is a great introduction to one of Ashtabula's greatest disasters. This is also as good a way as any to start talking about the second book in the Dark Harbor series.

So don't be surprised to see some links about Ashtabula here as I start collecting the background I need for the Dark Harbor series. 

All this ties together with my experiment with Kindle Select this way: the money from this month's sales are going to finance my trip(s) back to Ashtabula to do research.

I've got a camera, video equipment, a scanner, my laptop and a basic understanding of what happened. I'm going to need to take a look at the area so I can describe it later.

I'm going to need a place to stay and money to live on. As much as I would LOVE to stay at Cahill House in the Harbor, I don't think I can afford it. I'm going to have to camp out somewhere cheap.

Austinburg might be a good place to stay for a week or two. However, knowing what I do about Ashtabula's weather, I might want to do better than live in a tent. 

I'll give this more thought as time goes on.

Interior Format - Fail!

I've given up on formatting the interior of "Swallow the Moon" on my own.

My attention span is about 30 seconds long - and I can't seem to get anything finished. So I've decided to turn over the creation of the 'Swallow the Moon' paperback to Create Space.

Since I have the fabulous cover:

Yes, this is it. The only thing I can say is "WOW!" once again. As soon as I find out the page count, we are going to finish it up.

I wasn't going to rush this. However, I've discovered that paperbacks of 'Let's Do Lunch' are selling a few at a time. So I'm going to put myself in the position to take advantage of any sales that occur.

Stay tuned - I'll make the announcement in a few days.

Raven Arrives in the Harbor

Van Man Go - Custom Painting

Van Man Go dropped the last pieces of his airbrush into the cleaning solvent. It was time for a beer and a smoke. He dipped his hands in solvent and scrubbed them off with a rag. He grabbed a beer before he sat down in wooden chair.

Not bad, he thought as he looked over his latest work. It was another tribute bike – this one was desert camouflage background and scenes from Iraq. The work was detailed and lifelike – all premo – just like all his work.

He looked around – it was 2 am – the bars on Bridge Street were closing down. There weren't as many bars as there had been, back in the Harbor's heyday of the 1980s. Not that he cared. So what if the street was turning into a tourist trap? His business did just fine – there were plenty of people who were willing to pay very well for his work.

There was a breeze off the lake – bringing in the smell of fish and faint whiff of storm sewer. A sleek black Camry pulled up, the engine raced once before it shut down.

He took a drag off his cigarette – no need for a pack – he had them whenever he wanted them; a perk, one of many, from his Bargain.

The Camry door opened, a man stepped out, young, arrogant with surfer looks and tourist's clothing. He sauntered across the parking lot, looking around with a slight curl on his lip. The Harbor was old, well over a hundred fifty years, and time had not been kind.

Van sneered, he knew trouble when it landed on his doorstep. This young pup had come from elsewhere, thinking to mark out some turf. Thinking it would be easy to make a name for himself in a small town. He wanted to be the big dog on the block. All well and good – but age and cunning would always win over youth and enthusiasm.

This should be entertaining.

"Hello," the newcomer said with a broad smile. "Jeff Raven, new in town." He took one look at Van's paint stained hands didn't offer to shake hands.

"Call me Van," he took a deep drag, and waited.

"Quaint place," Raven said. "I see that you're an artist." He approached the finished bike, whistling with appreciation.

"I dabble." Van hid his smile behind his cigarette.

"I'm a teacher." Raven studied the bike. "I'm teaching Humanities, Social Studies and Phys Ed, for the new High School."

"Is that what they call it, these days?"

"What?" Raven stood up, gave Van a narrow look. He looked down at himself, checked his hands for jewelry.

"I've been around long enough to know my own kind." Van snorted. "Have a seat, there's beer in the cooler." He pointed to the cooler, the chair moved from the shadows next to him, as if lifted by invisible hands. Raven paused for a moment, looking from the chair to Van.

"Great trick."

"I've got a million of them." Van gave him a dry chuckle. "What brings you to my turf, kid?"

Raven's cocky attitude came back. He grabbed the beer, straddled the chair, resting his hands on the back. "I wasn't aware this area was claimed."

"I've been around a long time." Van grinned. "Surely you've heard of me."

"Of course." Raven took a long swig of beer. "But you aren't taking advantage of the situation. A place like this has a lot to offer."

"Do tell?" Van took another drag. "I always appreciate an outsider's view of things."

"Poor town, lot's of young blood wanting what they can't have, and willing to Bargain to get it." Raven flashed a smile. "All those young girls yearning for love. Or ambitious enough to trade sex for good grades. Surely you can remember back that far?"

"Dropped out when I was sixteen." Van shrugged. "I learned how to make money and keep books, that was all I needed."

"Sure it was." Raven drank more beer. "You have what you want – I'm just looking for stray bits that might fall in my lap."

"Bullshit." Van flipped his cigarette at Raven's feet. "You're kind doesn't pull up stakes unless it's something really important."

Raven shrugged, eyeing Van for a moment.

"I lost something that belongs to me," he said. "I've tracked her here and I'm going to get her back."

"A woman?" Van took a deep pull on his beer. "It's always women with you young pups."

"She's a very special woman," Raven finished off his beer.

"Aren't they all?" Van laughed.

Love is the Drug - Dark Harbor

The Iroquois Club

He stands on the stage at the Iroquois Club - belting out a Doors cover with all the sass and sex appeal he's got. He's got a lot. He's lean, wide shouldered and slim of hip, with dark, tousled, rock-star hair, blue eyes and a young man's chiseled features.

The young woman across from me is all but drooling. She wouldn't get a second glance from him, in spite of the bright blond hair, she's got 'mouse' written all over her. She sips her Morgan and Coke, talking softly during the break, but her eyes never leave him.

"His name is Teddy; he just got back from three years in Iraq." She sighs, her name is Kaylynn. She was National Guard and served with Teddy. "He swore up and down he wasn't coming back here, but - you see where he is."

He moves to the bar, flirting with every female in range and downs some shots. I wonder how much booze he can take before he can't sing standing up. It looks like he's pushing his luck. Teddy has an easy smile as well as a roving eye. He is well liked, I can tell by the indulgent way the bartender is pouring shots.

His band mates don't look happy with the way he's knocking back shots. The lead guitarist makes a cut off gesture that Teddy ignores.

"I work down the street, day shift at the restaurant," Kaylynn smiles. "He comes in at noon for breakfast."

"We are friends, during the day. At night, he's like this, I hardly know him." She bites her lip. "He was my best friend in Iraq. I don't understand why he's like this now."

"He wanted to go active duty, make a career out of the Army or go into the Air Force. But he's wasting his life drinking and drugging, playing rock star and screwing everything that walks."

What she isn't saying is pretty clear - she's in love with him.

There is a collective pause, and heads turn. The woman walking into the bar is a stunner. Black hair to her hips, scantily dressed in a red leather mini-skirt, she's either some biker's wet dream or a dominatrix escaped from a brothel.

My money is on the brothel. She's not a young woman and she's got a hard look to her that should send any smart man running for home.

"Destiny," the name is said with distain. "Well, we know who Teddy's going home with tonight. He sings that song to her, you know."

Teddy plants a lip-lock on Destiny that makes my companion's eyes fill with tears. The break is over; he is hip-to-hip with the woman as they walk to the stage. He mounts the stage giving her smoldering looks that should have caught the ceiling on fire.

Destiny wanders over to the pillar next to us, leaning on it as Teddy wails out a Roxy Music cover 'Love is the Drug' as if she is the only woman in the crowded room. This close to her, I get a look at the tattoo on her shoulder, an upside-down pentagram. There are a couple more tattoos, roses, thorns and bleeding hearts. Her earrings are dragons. She's thin, always has been, being thin is a good thing when you're a cougar - hunting after young bloods.

Destiny is mighty attractive for a woman pushing fifty. Yeah, I know her age, as well as what she did to keep her figure. The signs of aging are muted at night; I wonder what she looks like in the harsh light of day. A lifetime of taking speed and snorting coke can be covered by makeup and hair-color, but to really look young takes more drastic measures. You've got to sell your soul, either to a plastic surgeon or to Satan himself.

Destiny doesn't have money for a plastic surgeon.

"That song is posted on Create Space," Kaylynn dries her eyes. "People are downloading it like crazy. They are getting a lot of attention, and good reviews. Enough to where they are putting together an album."

"Cory and Tony are working really hard on the album, but Teddy blows them off. He won't lay down the vocal tracks." Kaylynn shakes her head. "I don't know what's wrong with Teddy. He won't make up his mind to do anything. Not the Air Force, not the album, he's just partying with her and her creepy friends."

"You know who I'm talking about." Kaylynn takes her eyes off Teddy to look at me for the first time. "That creepy artist - Van Man Go. Teddy is over there all the time." She shudders. "What a skank! But Teddy acts like Van and him are best friends - all the time he's screwing her, and she's been with Van for years."

I have to smother a laugh. Van Man Go’s name has popped up once again. I give the girl some encouragement before I get up to leave. As I walk passed Destiny we make eye contact.

“Kitty, how’s it going?”

“Good band, hot singer.” I smile at her, raising my eyebrows. “Cindy’s son, isn’t he?” We partied with Cindy, before Cindy departed to places unknown. She came back with Teddy, stories of a groupie’s life and AIDS; without money for healthcare, Cindy lasted only a few years. Nobody knows who Teddy’s father is.

Destiny doesn’t like to be reminded of the fact that we go back many years, that I know the age she carefully denies. Her eyes sweep over me, I’ve been on the straight and narrow for more than 20 years; that knowledge bugs her, too. She takes a drag off her cigarette and blows the smoke at me. I smile and walk away.

There is a couple sitting in the corner, a long lean man in a sport bike leather jacket and a slim woman with long dark hair, Eric and June. As Teddy announces “Lights” by Journey, Eric takes June’s hand, inviting her to dance.

They take over the dance floor. Teddy’s voice is pure and soulful as Eric gathers June to him with a tenderness that glows in the smoky light.

Destiny rolls her eyes in disgust. What is between those two is very real, and she can’t stand being in the same room with that kind of love. She brushes passed me. Teddy’s watching the couple dancing. There is a longing in his eyes that comes out through his voice.

Kaylynn has her eyes closed, pretending that Teddy is singing to her, no doubt.

I take that image with me – thick smoke, neon lights – a singer silhouetted in red and blue crooning to a couple, slow dancing their way to falling in love; in a bar, in the Harbor, in Ashtabula.

Yeah.

==========================
Barnes & Noble: 'Swallow the Moon


Smashwords: 'Swallow the Moon'


Amazon US: Amazon US: Swallow the Moon - Dark Harbor

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Swallow-Moon-Dark-Harbor-ebook/dp/B005CX8OKS

Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.co.de/Swallow-Moon-Dark-Harbor-ebook/dp/B005CX8OKS

Amazon FR: http://www.amazon.co.fr/Swallow-Moon-Dark-Harbor-ebook/dp/B005CX8OKS