Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Quotes

I'm listening to the audiobook version of Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz and I heard a line I particularly liked. I don't think Hurwitz is the first person to say it but it really touched me.

"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional."

Everyone has pain in their life. Physical, mental, emotional.Everyone has something. How you choose to face it is up to you. It is such a powerful statement.

It is, of course, also overly simplistic. Some pain blindsides you. Someone dies, something breaks. There are some diseases that ravish the body with pain.

In some cases, ignoring pain could lead to bigger problems; like not getting a broken bone set properly.

So while the statement may not be wholly true or wholly doable, it is absolutely something to which I can aspire.

"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional."

Something I'll think about.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Ghost Of A Smile (Book Two of The Ghost Protector Trilogy) Now On Sale

Ghost Of A Smile-Book Two

Ghost Of A Smile (book two of the Ghost Protector Trilogy) is officially on sale as of yesterday on Amazon as an ebook and paperback. The paperback version is making its way onto other book sites. It will probably be another month before it shows up on Barnes and Nobles. Both this book and the first book, Ghost Of A Chance, are available on Kindle Unlimited to read for free.

Book two finds Jenny Chang facing a Suicide Spirit; an entity that taps into the emotions and convinces its victims that life is hopeless. In her quest to find and defeat it, she travels from Massachusetts to a Native American reservation in Arizona with the help of the Hopi. A certain Native American legendary figure makes an appearance as well Jenny's boss, Zhong Kui, King of Ghosts and Demon Queller.

I enjoyed looking into the traditions and myths of the Native American culture. The many tribes have such fascinating histories and beautiful cultures but it was the Hopi that drew me.
Ghost Of A Chance-Book One

I'm working on the draft of book three, Ghost Of A Memory. It is due out in June so I need to have the final draft ready to be submitted by May. It's been quite a ride putting out all three in a year.

The cover of GoM is in the early stages of being mocked up and will probably change several times over. All I can say for certain is it will be the same model as the prior two. Jenny loves the color red (she thinks it's lucky) so we may well go with her in the red shirt this time. (She's going to need all the luck she can get.) I'll post a copy once I have the final mockup.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Relieved? Not yet.

Ghost Of A Smile comes out tomorrow (3-15-16). I wish I could say I'm relieved. The book is done and it's live. I can wipe my hands and call it a day.
Nope.
It seems like the quest for marketing and reviews is never over. You can't sell books without reviews and you have to get your book into people's hands before they can possibly review it. Plus you need to have a good amount of reviews before the popular promo sites will take you.
It's kind of a vicious cycle. I need reviews to get sales but it's hard to get reviews until you've had sales.
I've been contacting tons of review sites and bloggers/reviewers to get them to look at Ghost Of A Chance (book one). I must have it out to fifty reviewers.
Then I also have book three to finish-Ghost Of A Memory. (I do seem to love punny titles.)
I guess I'm going through one of those time periods where I feel like I'm slogging through mud trying to get anywhere.
No way past it but through it.
So I'll trudge on and hope to find some high ground.
Wish me luck.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Readfree.ly Discount Book Site

I recently came across a website called Readfree.ly

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If you are looking for a newsletter of free and discounted ebooks, check it out. You may find your new favorite book.

http://www.readfree.ly/