In the spirit of the season, Jo Richardson has challenged us to tell her a spooky story – real or not real, doesn’t matter, in 300 words or less. If you joined me from Gemma Brocato, welcome. (And if you thought what she wrote today was scary, make sure you come back tomorrow. Gemma will be visiting my blog and talking about all the things she didn't know about being a published author. It will make your blood run cold! And then on Thursday, you can have a chance to win a copy of my book Chef d'Amour, on Gemma's site!)
I have to admit, I'm a wimp when it comes to scary stuff. I don't like horror movies, need to read spooky stories with all the lights on, and in general don't enjoy being frightened. I can still remember having to read “The Cask of Amontillado” for school and being petrified. So this was something of a challenge for me. But let's give it a go... We moved to Elm Street a couple weeks before Halloween. I fully intended to spend the night reading in my room. My mother had other plans. “You can use this.” She pulled a frilly yellow dress out of a cardboard box—one of the many in the basement waiting to be unpacked. “I don't want to.” At ten, I was too old to be a princesses. “I won't have you moping in your room all evening.” She flicked out the material, spangles and sparkles glittering. Before I knew it, I was out the door, clutching a pillowcase. “Have fun!” my mother carolled from the porch. I stood on the sidewalk, humiliated and angry. Groups of kids swirled past me as if I wasn't there, laughing and talking like the best friends they were. I had never felt so alone. “Do you want to trick-or-treat with me?” Standing next to me was a girl my age. Her costume was simple—an old-fashioned, high waisted dress, her hair done in ringlets. She carried a basket. I thought she might be Little Bo-Peep. “Me?” “Who else, silly?” She smiled, a dimple denting her cheek. “Let's start there.” She headed for the house next door. We laughed and talked our way from house to house. By the time we circled the block, I was thrilled, excited—happy for the first time since we'd moved. “I had fun tonight. Goodbye.” She skipped away, disappearing into the dark at the end of the street. My mother greeted me at the door. “So, how was it?” “Okay, I guess,” I answered grudgingly. “I met a girl.” “Oh, sweetie, don't worry.” Mom hugged me tight. “You'll make new friends soon. You don't have to make things up to try and feel better.” “I'm not making things up.” I pushed out of her embrace. “We did the whole block together.” My mother shook her head. “I was watching you. You walked around the block. But you were alone the whole time.” Want more chills and thrills? Head to Fiona Riplee next! And remember, come back tomorrow to find out more about Gemma Brocato's new release, Exposed to Passion!
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Today's the day! Happy 6 Month Anniversary to the Romance Writer's Weekly! Head over to our Facebook Page and join in the fun!
But before you do, our blog hop this week is all about our favourite romances. We're supposed to list our top ten – be they books, movies, songs, or anything else. If you've joined me from Victoria Barbour, welcome! Here's mine, in no particular order... Pride and Prejudice I'm sure this is going to show up on a lot of lists, but I'm sorry, it has to be here. Romances are all about relationships (the sexy stuff is fun, too, but it doesn't have to be on the page) and Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett have two of the all time greatest character arcs ever. And the BBC miniseries is the best book adaptation I've ever seen Sabrina The original movie, with Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn. This is honestly one of the only movies I've seen where I've felt the connection between the characters so strongly. Again, very little sexy stuff, but such amazing chemistry. The Pina Colada Song I know, it's cheesy as hell. But I love the thought of people falling in love with each other for the second time. Claire and Jamie Fraser These are two of the strongest, most realistic characters to ever have a series woven about them. They argue and annoy each other, they are baffled by each others actions, and yet their love and commitment to each other is unquestionable. This Heart of Mine I've blogged about this Susan Elizabeth Phillips novel before. Utterly heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time. My favourite SEP for sure. Anything (almost) by Nora Roberts No list of top 10 romances would be complete without LaNora. But there is no way to narrow down which one of her books I love the best. Although if someone threatened to pull out my fingernails unless I answered, I'd have to go with “New York to Dallas” (yes, I know, it's JD Robb. Same diff') Unraveled No one does complicated heroes like Courtney Milan. And Smite Turner, who survived an abusive mother, is one of her most bewildering and lovable characters The Princess Bride Falling into both the book and movie categories, this is one of my all time favourite non-traditional romances. “As – you – wish.....” The elderly couple I saw holding hands Connections are so important. Holding hands is one of the simplest ways to say “I'm here.” And when the couple is well into their later years, shuffling slowly down the sidewalk, its a powerful statement. Taking out the garbage Doesn't sound very romantic, does it? But romance isn't only the big grand gestures. It's getting up to rock the baby in the middle of the night. It's folding the laundry even though it's not “his job.” It's doing things you don't want to do, because you know your partner doesn't want to do it either. Now, hop on over to see what Jeanne McDonald lists for her top ten favourite romances! The Book Crossing Tree There's a path near my home where I walk our dog. It is deep in a gully, with a muddy creek running through it and tall trees reaching higher than the houses on the banks above. And along this path is the Book Crossing Tree. I have no idea who puts these books on the tree. They are carefully zipped into plastic bags and sealed with packing tape to keep out moisture. Most of them are children and young adult books, and in my imagination I see a mother with young children helping small, clumsy fingers tie each book on a branch. The tree is barely five feet tall, and the branches bend with their load, but it seems proud of its role Have you ever been to the Book Crossing website? You register a book, label it with a special ID, and then you "set it free." A book lover that comes across your "release" can log in to the site and note where it was found...and then release it again. It is such a cool concept...sharing books, meeting new readers, making friends. Of course, the spirit of Book Crossing means I'd have to let go of a book, and I find it difficult enough to do that without tossing it into the wild. I would want to know it was found by someone who would take care of it and appreciate it. What about you? Could you leave a book you loved in a strange place, waiting for strange hands to pick it up? I'm guest blogging over at AJ's Notes, with award-winning author Autumn Jordon. Stop by for a chance to win an e-copy of MOUNTAIN FIRE! Deadline is Midnight PST tonight, so you still have a chance to enter.
I am Guest Blogging at Just Romantic Suspense this weekend. Come visit for a chance to win an e-copy of MOUNTAIN FIRE!
A lot of authors, especially self-pub, are raving about the KDP Select program via Amazon. For three months your book must be available exclusively from Amazon, and in return you can offer it free for five days.
It's a no cost way to get your book in the hands of people who may never have bought it. Sure, you're losing the profit of selling the book, but you are not out of pocket as you would be with most other advertising. And that's pretty much what the free days of the program are. Advertising. My publisher enrolled MOUNTAIN FIRE in KDP Select from October 1 to December 31. It was offered for free from October 31 to November 3, and then again on November 5. That odd schedule was a glitch due to the time change. For some reason, that one extra hour in the early morning of November 4 counted as an entire day. So in order to use all five free days, the publisher skipped November 4 completely. Prior to my free days, the highest MOUNTAIN FIRE had reached on Amazon's lists was approximately 141,000. In the days leading up to the promotion, it had actually dropped as low as 385,000. During the four consecutive days of the promotion, the book rose to sit steady in the number 2 slot of Romantic Suspense, and reached a high of 26 overall, as well as making appearances in the top 30 of Contemporary Romance. Despite the break in the promo for November 4, it held its own on November 5th. Since then, MOUNTAIN FIRE has climbed as high as the 3000's in Amazon's overall bestseller list. Now, this sounds like nothing to jump for joy about. But consider where it was sitting before the free days. That's an increase of more than 380,000 places on the list. I have no idea what the numbers mean in actual copies downloaded and sold (my publisher does, of course). But I do know this...it's a huge improvement over where the book was trending before the promotion. MOUNTAIN FIRE continues to waver in the ranks, but as of the writing of this post had not dropped below 9000. As a debut novel from an unknown author, I'm not surprised by this. But from my point of view, I think KDP Select was a worthwhile experiment. Happy Halloween, everyone! And instead of a trick, I'm sending you a treat!
MOUNTAIN FIRE is available FREE, right now in the Kindle Store. And if you're too busy handing out candy, you'll have until Saturday, November 3rd to get your copy! En |