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"The Saloon Girl's Journey" is Here!

Good morning, everyone! I wanted to announce the release of my book, "The Saloon Girl's Journey." Darla is the heroine of this book. Life wasn't easy for women in the 1890's, and Darla has had to make some tough choices in life. But after meeting Soonie Eckhart and learning about God's love for her, she decides to make a drastic change--for the better. I hope you enjoy reading about Darla's journey as much as I enjoyed writing it! http://www.amazon.com/Saloon-Girls-Journey-Texas-Spirit-ebook/dp/B01CWDM90Q/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=095DPAXTE9STSCN2RMWW

Proud to Present: Launch Day for Steampunk Fairy Tales!

Several months ago, I approached some of my favorite writers to join me in a Steampunk Fairy Tales project. Six brave souls agreed to join me, and a book was born. 

Starting today, you can download your very own copy! FREE on Smashwords for all platforms here

99 cents from Amazon Kindle HERE

Here's the Amazon description: 

A toyshop owner builds a set of magic clockwork dolls that delight a factory town. A three-inch tall samurai faces a giant iron ogre with only a sewing needle and a coin. A scientist seeks an antidote to his formula gone wrong, with the help of his partner’s beautiful daughter. 

All of these stories and more are included in Steampunk Fairy Tales. Written by authors from three different continents, every enchanting tale combines the futuristic Victorian concept of steam and fashion with memorable stories, from the recognizable “Jack and the Beanstalk”, to other popular and unfamiliar works from Germany, France, Italy and Japan. 

With steam driven gadgets such as mechanical goggles, hoverboards, and an orchestra of automatons. Steampunk Fairy Tales is a charming and unique collection of works for current lovers of the genre, and those just diving in. 

Why Didn't My Promo Work?

Photo by Cherie Haines fairygirlphoto.weebly.com

So if you are an Indie author, you've probably heard you must spend money to get money. And unless you're living under a rock, you most likely know Bookbub is the king of all promo sites. But what about the countless other sites? You know the ones. Pay them some money and they'll promote your book deal on their site. Or perhaps you've gone to sites who offer FREE promos... if they have the space. Otherwise, you can pay money for a 'guaranteed' listing.

As for free sites, yes, they might be free, but it does take lots of time and effort to submit books to them... time that might be better spent writing if they don't sell you any books.

I've spent a lot of money... more than I care to admit ... on promo sites that didn't work. And I wish I had taken the time and trouble to do this a LONG time ago. Oh well. Maybe I will save YOU some time and money.

I made a spreadsheet of promo sites. Now, this is not a complete list, I'm sure there are hundreds more. But they are the ones I found today. Then I went to Alexa.com and found out the website rankings for the sites. This shows monthly updates for how websites are ranked in the USA. The lower the number, the more visitors the site has. (for example, Facebook is number 2) 

Here are the top ten ranked sites as of March 20, 2016, and a link to a Google doc. with the rest I researched. Please feel free to share any other sites that have worked well for you, and don't forget to compare notes with other writers. Some genres might do better on some sites than others. 

(Note; Pixel of Ink is not listed, since it's not currently taking submissions)

1. Bookbub

Ranking:  1866

Price: 50.00-2000.00      

2. E-reader IQ 

Ranking: 8955 

Price: 20.00-150.00

3. Robin Reads (I've had great results with these folks, but they are picky)

Ranking: 9954

Price: 15.00-20.00

4. Booksends

Ranking: 17147

Price: 10-125.00

5. One Hundred Free E-Books

Ranking: 20054 

Price: 75-100.00

6. Freebooksy

Ranking:22774

Price: 40-200.00

7. Bknights (Fiverr)

Ranking: 28153

Price: 5.50

8. Daily Free E-books

Ranking: 32626

9. Book Lemur

Ranking: 32700

Price: 25.00-35.00

10. E-reader News Today
Ranking: 33828
Price: 15-50.00 (This site has done great for me and many others)

Here is the link to the Google spreadsheet. Hope it's helpful! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BL0TCWKI8Ny05_iZpkllZvxT60zVSg12GNZUVPnHRXg/edit?usp=sharing
Please feel free to comment with thoughts/experience. 

Cover Reveal: Steampunk Fairy Tales Anthology

Merry Extremely Early Christmas to all you steampunk lovers! Some of the best and brightest Scribophile members have penned some absolutely FANTASTIC steampunk re-writes of your favorite fairy tales, including Jack and the Beanstalk, Bluebeard, Little Red Riding Hood and more! Today, I am proud to present our cover, designed by the one and only Indigo Forest Designs! http://indigoforest.weebly.com/

'

So... when do you get to read this amazing collection? Have no fear! March 28th is the release date!

Cover Reveal: The Saloon Girl's Journey

And heeeeere's the cover! Book will be out April 7th, 2016!

Thank you so much to Gracelyn Fullilove, my lovely model, Cherie Haines, my photographer, and Elaina Lee at For the Muse Designs for another wonderful cover!

Win a Kindle Fire FILLED with clean fantasy fiction!

Win a FREE Kindle fire chock-full of AMAZING clean fantasy from some of the best Indie authors around, including ALL THREE books from my Toby the Trilby series. Who cares about blizzards when you can curl up with a Kindle Fire? 

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New Year's Goals

I just came from a fantastic sermon from my pastor at Foundations Christian Ministries in Bastrop, Texas. He talked about setting goals for the New Year, and I think they are relevant for writers as well.
He talked about using the word S.M.A.R.T. to remember how to set goals.

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-bound.

The one thing he said that made the most impact on me was to write them down. Today. When you write down a goal, your brain automatically starts working to figure out how you will obtain that goal.
Writing out my goals has been the number one biggest motivator for me to get four books completed and out in the last two years. This is my process.
I write a list of basic goals when I start a book. I have a certain number of drafts and edits I know it will have to go through, along with a critiquing, beta reading and editing process. So I take those processes and divide them by month.
Then I take each month and divide it by days. I have one of those desk calendars with extra-big spaces for days. I give myself two days off each week, for emergencies and breathing room.
Then I divide each month's goal by 20. I write a word count on each day of the calendar, along with edits, cover progress, etc.
When I wake up in the morning, my goal for the day is in mind. I'm already figuring out how I will fit it into the day, and what section of my project I will be working on. I already know how much time I will need, and how I will accomplish it.
At the beginning of every month, I decide when my promo days will be and write them on the calendar. About a week before each promotion, I figure out what my budget will be for that promotion and apply to the marketing sites.

How do you plan for your writing year? Do you have goals for 2016?