Woo-hoo! It’s not often that I have indie superstars on my blog the likes of Martin Crosbie so excuse my big excitement today! When Martin accepted to do the interview, I couldn’t believe it. Goes to show that sometimes, all you need to do is simply ask. Martin is a bestselling author with a recent kindle scout winner in his arsenal: his crime novel, The Dead List. His book, How I sold 30,000 eBoooks on Amazon’s Kindle, is always handy in my office, a ‘promo bible’ for all intents and purposes.

Outlines the methods the top 5% of successful self-published authors utilize to produce their eBooks in a professional, cost-effective manner.
Shows what happened after Amazon changed the rules and what you need to do right now to adjust your strategy.
How to adopt the philosophy that will allow promotional opportunities to come to you.

In February 2012 Martin Crosbie’s self-published eBook “My Temporary Life” hit Amazon’s top ten overall bestseller list. The next month Amazon posted a press release revealing that Crosbie had made $46,000 in one month, with one book. Prior to this, his novel was rejected one hundred and thirty times by traditional publishers and agents. In the months that followed, “My Temporary Life” and its sequel have been consistent sellers, often sitting atop Amazon’s rankings. Crosbie’s story has been mentioned in Publisher’s Weekly, Forbes online, and other media outlets around the world. In fact, Amazon referred to him as one of their 2012 success stories in their year-end press release. “How I Sold 30,000 eBooks on Amazon’s Kindle-An Easy-To-Follow Self-Publishing Guidebook” tells the story of how he became a full-time writer, detailing the specific steps he took to find and connect with his readers. Plus, it describes how he adjusted his strategy when Amazon changed their systems.

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#1 BESTSELLER – ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
#1 BESTSELLER – CONTEMPORARY FICTION

“It has everything, simply everything-a coming of age, a romance, and a thriller all rolled  into one delightful read.”

Malcolm Wilson learns that everything is always temporary. Growing up, he’s raised by a promiscuous mother who can’t stay out of trouble, his best friend is a thirteen-year-old alcoholic, and the masters at his tough Scottish school are always raising their canes in his direction. When he becomes an adult, he escapes, and chooses the safe route, watching the world from a distance. Everything changes the day he meets the beautiful, alluring, green-eyed Heather, and when he learns of Heather’s own abusive childhood and the horrific secret she’s been carrying, Malcolm decides to help her. And, this time he’s not backing down, whatever the cost. The first book of the “My Temporary Life” Trilogy tells a story of love, friendship, and what it truly means to be a hero. A top-ten overall Amazon best seller, this grand, sweeping story has been enjoyed by readers all over the world.

Be sure to check out Martin’s other books-My Name Is Hardly – Book Two of the My Temporary Life Trilogy, Lies I Never Told-A Collection of Short Stories, How I Sold 30,000 eBooks on Amazon’s Kindle-An Easy-To-Follow Self-Publishing Guidebook – 2014 Edition, and Believing Again: A Tale Of Two Christmases.

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The dead man’s head rests on a halo of blood. His hands are locked together as if in prayer. Rookie police officer John Drake is first on scene. His superiors want to call it an accidental death, but he isn’t convinced. In his previous life, Drake saw his share of dead bodies. He knows this was not an accident. When he uncovers a list with five names including the name of the dead man, there’s only one question. Are the names on the list suspects or potential victims?

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Hello Martin and welcome to my blog!

Hello Fros, it’s great to be here!

First of all, congratulations for your latest novel, The Dead List – a Kindle Scout winner! Was it the first time you submitted a book on Kindle Scout? How did you find the process?

This was my first Kindle Scout submission; yes. The process was exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. During the thirty days you try to build interest without bombarding your followers with requests to check out the preview of your book. So, I guess in some ways it was just another normal day for a self-published author. I believe in this book, I think it’s a great story and really wanted to tell it. I’m hopeful that Scout will help me reach more readers than I could by myself.

What has inspired you to write The Dead List?

It’s very loosely based on a true story. I was originally told about a dead list type of situation by a man many years ago. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, but this gentleman was the last man standing. I always found the whole process fascinating but I wasn’t sure how to tell the story. And, you know how that works. You eventually buckle down, create your characters and let them fill in the blanks. It seems to have worked.

Yes, indeed it has! Martin, I’ve read your book, How I sold 30,000 eBooks on Amazon, and thought it was a wonderful tool for indies. I keep it handy near my desk for its great tips on promotion. With the indie world being so fluid, how hard do you find it to keep revising this book so that it can stay updated? How often do you need to do it? And would you be happy to share here a tip that you have learned since you last revised the book? I’d love it if you could share one here the first time!

Thank you for reading my book, I’m glad you find it useful. The book is taken from workshops that I have taught and you’re right, it’s difficult to keep revising as the indie world continues to evolve. As you know from the book I believe that approaching your career in an ethical manner and following a professional process rather than one or two distinct things will help you connect with readers. Having said that though, I still believe that if a writer has written a great book it will find an audience. So, the best thing we can do is keep writing and continue to become better writers. I don’t know if I can give you a tip, but one thing I have learned recently is that I can write faster and produce more than I believed I could. Others were doing it so I’ve been trying to increase my output. Whether all my scribbles will be published remains to be seen, but for me, I know I can write more than I have been. My writing mentor always told me there’s no such thing as writer’s block. Writing is a job and we just put the words together until they start making sense. I believe he was right.

I agree with you that writer’s block doesn’t exist. It’s just lack of determination, and the absence of a solid writing plan/method. Sometimes, a decision for better time-management is all you need. What other writing have you done? Anything else published?

I was very fortunate with my first book. I published My Temporary Life at the end of 2011 and readers really enjoyed it. A major Canadian newspaper wrote a story on me when my book hit top ten overall on Amazon and called me a “traditional publishing reject”. I’m one of those authors who was lining his walls with rejection emails. I had 130 of them for that book before I published it on my own. My Temporary Life is a tough book to categorize. It’s part coming of age, part adventure and part romance. Nobody quite knew what to do with it, but readers seemed to like the book and posted positive reviews. I was very lucky.

Perhaps it was luck in part, but I am sure it all started with the brilliant-writing bit, otherwise people wouldn’t have spread the word about it in the first place. I think you’re being very humble, Martin!

*chuckles* Perhaps, thank you.

Any hobbies or interests that you enjoy in your spare time?

I enjoy movies with subtitles. There are a couple of very good film festivals locally each year and I love sitting in dark theatres watching foreign films. And I have a black lab who walks me most days. Plus, I’m a lapsed runner. I’ve run several half marathons and a full marathon. It’s my goal this winter to hit the treadmill consistently so I can train outside next spring and get back to long-distance running. And now that I’ve said it out loud I actually have to do it.

LOL! My husband is a marathon runner and I know the kind of commitment and inner strength it takes to do this. You have my full respect! Do you see yourself in any of your characters, or do any of them have traits you wish you had?

I was teaching a workshop a couple of years ago and a couple of ladies kept referring to me as “Malcolm”. Malcolm was the protagonist in My Temporary Life. When I told them I wasn’t him they repeated in unison, “Oh yes, you are.”

Malcolm has become a favorite character of many readers. I receive emails from his admirers telling me what he can and cannot do in the follow up books. It’s been quite interesting to see how folks have taken such a personal interest in him. When asked I tell people that even on my best days I don’t think I’ll ever be able to measure up to Malcolm, but we can dream, can’t we.

What you just said might as well be the best elevator speech you could give for your book. I am hooked! What are you working on at the moment? Tell us a little about your current project(s).

I’m writing the second book in the John Drake (The Dead List) series. I will probably submit that to Kindle Scout also. I’m also playing around with a short novel that is still in draft form. It’s the follow up to a Christmas romance I published a couple of years back –Believing Again – A Tale of Two Christmases. And, I am always plugging away at the third book in the My Temporary Life trilogy. One day I will be pleased to announce that it is complete.

What genres do you read mostly, and what are you reading now?

As I write this I’m due to leave on a short holiday so I’m filling my kindle with books. Amazon has many of the classics available for free and I’ve been taking advantage of that. I recently completed a Wilkie Collins book and enjoyed it very much, but right now I spend every night with Madame Bovary. She’s quite a woman, I mean book. She’s not real, is she? Was she? Either way, I’m enjoying my time with her very much.

Do you have any advice for other indie authors?

Don’t rush it. Put the best product you can out there and take your time doing it. If you’re not happy with the result then go back and find more beta readers to freshen it up before you publish. And, don’t be afraid of criticism. I’ll once again paraphrase my writing mentor. He told me to listen very carefully to everything he said and consider his comments. Then if I didn’t agree throw them out the window because nobody knows your work better than you do.

Great advice! Are there any sites or writing tools that you find useful and wish to recommend?

I write a monthly article for Indies Unlimited. Those guys volunteer their services to try and help the Indie author community. I highly recommend you check them out. And, I keep a list of tools for authors on my own website too.

Well, Martin, it’s been a huge honor to have you here with us today. Thank you so much.

Thanks for having me, Fros, this was fun!

In a press release, Amazon called Martin Crosbie one of their success stories of 2012. His writing journey has been chronicled in Publisher’s Weekly, Forbes Online, and Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper. Martin’s latest novel The Dead List is a Kindle Scout winner and published by Amazon’s Kindle Press.

He makes his home in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

Visit Martin’s Amazon page  US   UK

Visit Martin’s website

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martin.crosbie.3

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Martinthewriter

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Christy is a hospital nurse who volunteers to help Aaron give his little girl, Izzie, the perfect Christmas at home. Izzie suffers from leukemia so Christy feels compelled to work with Aaron–a widower for the past two years–as they try to tick off every item on Izzie’s Christmas list. This story tugs at the heartstrings, as one would expect, and Donna Fasano’s masterful pen does it with a mixture of drama and lightheartedness that allows you to keep reading without feeling heartbroken all the time. It is a dramatic theme, after all, and the two adults seem to be living their sweet romance almost guiltily considering the tragedy unfolding. Still, the romance is what gives Christy and Aaron the strength to carry on, little Izzie being the glue that binds them together. If you’re looking for a Christmas book that will stay in your memory, this one is the perfect, short read and won’t disappoint. Grab a hankie and lose yourself in this heart-stopping, spell-binding Christmas tale.

My rating:

5-stars

A spell-binding Christmas tale!

Looking for a heart-warming, short Christmas read?

Trust USA Today bestselling author Donna Fasano to deliver the perfect choice!

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Have you enjoyed this post? Follow the blog (see right sidebar) and miss no more posts! Sign up to Effrosyni’s newsletter to keep up to date with her news and special offers (very sparse emails). Interested to read more? Head over to Effrosyni’s Blog, where you’ll find her earlier interviews, book reviews, author tips, travel articles and even Greek recipes!

Hello peeps! Last Monday of the year, and after featuring the highly successful Martin Crosbie on my blog last week, I thought I’d end this year’s interviews with another high-flyer. Award-winning romance author Mandy Baggot and her festive novel “One Wish in Manhattan” seemed perfect for the occasion so I was over the moon when she took me up on the offer. Mandy writes delightful chick-lit and has been published with Sapphire Star, a Harper Collins imprint, as well as Harper Impulse. Among Mandy’s books on Amazon, I found an intriguing anthology that was FREE to download and I thought I’d post it here  for your perusal. A bunch of authors wrote for this anthology with the same premise – two characters and a rescued cat – and have developed the stories, each author in their own way, deciding which list each character goes on: Naughty or Nice? I hope you’ll agree with me it sounds like fun! Check it out below along with two of Mandy’s most popular novels:

Check it’s FREE before downloading!

Enjoy this free festive treat from the HarperImpulse authors this Christmas!
Inspired by roaring campfires and the cold nights of the Pacific Northwest, a group of HarperImpulse authors came together to write their own round robin style romances. In this special festive Written Fireside, the authors ran a competition to give a reader the chance to start each story in the anthology with their own opening paragraph. Georgia Beyers was the winner and now you can find out how each author followed that paragraph with their incredible storytelling. So settle down, grab a mince pie and join us for a Christmas by the fire…

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The temperature is dropping, snow is on its way and Hayley Walker is heading for New York with one wish … to start over.

With her daughter Angel, Hayley is ready for adventure. But there’s more to New York than twinkly lights and breathtaking skyscrapers. Angel has her own Christmas wish – to find her real dad. While Hayley tries to fulfill her daughter’s wish, she crosses paths with billionaire Oliver Drummond. Restless and bored with fast living, there’s something intriguing about him that has Hayley hooked. Can Hayley dare to think her own dreams might come true – could A New York Christmas turn into a New York Forever?

Travel to the Big Apple this Christmas and join Hayley and Oliver as they realise life isn’t just about filling the minutes … it’s about making every moment count.

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Sun, sea and a sexy stranger – a whole lot of fun just got a lot more complicated.

Capable, confident and career-driven, Ellen had her dream job and a marriage proposal from boyfriend Ross. Life was good, her future set. Until it wasn’t and everything fell apart… Whisked off to the beautiful island of Corfu to plan her sister Lacey’s big, fat, Greek wedding, Ellen is hoping some time out will help clear her head and heal her heart. But letting go of her past is not going to be easy.  With Lacey in full on Bridezilla mode, Ellen is soon distracted from her own problems. And when the all-inclusive treats on offer at hotel Blue Vue include one gorgeous, brooding Adonis – Yan – Ellen finds him difficult to resist. But Ellen isn’t looking for love or lust, or anything involving too much ouzo…or is she?

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Hello Mandy and welcome to my blog!

Thank you, Fros. I’m delighted to be here.

What was the first thing you ever wrote and how old were you then?

I started writing from a very early age and used to make up stories based on television shows I watched as a child. American dramas like T J Hooker, Matt Houston, The Fall Guy, all got a romantic twist when I was about nine or ten! After that I used to write an ongoing story for my friends at school involving them and pop stars and professional football players of the time.

Any hobbies or interests that you enjoy in your spare time?

I love live music so when I’m not writing I like to go and see as many gigs as I can. Country and rock/pop are my preferred genres. Every year Mr Big (my husband) and I go to the Country 2 Country Festival at the O2 in London for 3 days of bands and all things cowboy. And in 2016, for my 40^th birthday we’re heading for a week in the home of country music, Nashville. I can’t wait!

Wow, sounds amazing! What are you working on at the moment? Tell us a little about your current project(s).

I’m working on my next summer novel for 2016. It’s set in Corfu again but is very different from my novel, Truly, Madly Greekly. Whereas Truly, Madly Greekly had the all-inclusive hotel and was all about the package holiday experience, this novel is very much about putting down roots and begins with a run-down restaurant… that’s all I can say!

You said the magic word – Corfu – so I’m hooked already, LOL. What genres do you read mostly, and what are you reading now?

I like to read contemporary romance, romantic comedy and balance that up with crime thrillers. I love fellow Bookouture author, Angela Marsons’ Kim Stone series! At the moment I’m reading a Debbie Macomber Christmas double whammy!

Choose a male and a female character from your book and tell us which actor and actress you’d cast to play them in a film adaptation.

 One Wish in Manhattan has single mum, Hayley Walker, heading to New York with her nine-year-old daughter, Angel. I think I’d like Demi Lovato to play Hayley. And this story also has a gorgeous billionaire businessman who I think Chris Pine could play!

Being an author involves a lot of sitting around. What do you do for exercise?

It is a lot of sitting around! I exercise at home either with Zumba on the Wii or a workout DVD. I’ve just got back into the dance and boxercise one!

I tend to use my living room as a home gym too – LOL. Describe your workstation. Are there any favorite objects you have there for inspiration?

I am a candle fanatic. I have a Partylite party every month or so to fill up on wax! At the moment, as it’s Christmas time, I have a large Caramel Pear jar candle on my desk! For 2016 I’ve also bought a diary covered in butterflies. Butterflies are very significant in One Wish in Manhattan so it’s a reminder of that.

If you could have one superpower what would it be?

I think to be able to cure cancer would be nice. It seems to get into so many people’s lives. My family has been touched by it and so many of my friends. Forget x-ray vision or Hulk strength, I want much more than that!

What are the things in your life that you’re most grateful for?

My husband and my children and the life we have together. Being able to do the best job in the world. I’m very lucky and I never want to forget that.

That’s a lovely answer, Mandy. Thank you so much for this interview, I really appreciate your time!

Thank you for the invitation, Fros!

Mandy Baggot is an award-winning romantic fiction author, writing hot heroes and emotional reads. She is represented by Kate Nash of The Kate Nash Literary Agency. In 2012 she won the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK’s Festival of Romance and has since scooped Top Ten Reads/Book of the Year places from a number of UK book bloggers. Traditionally published by US publisher Sapphire Star, Harper Collins’ digital first romance imprint, Harper Impulse, and most recently, digital fiction specialists, Bookouture, a great story is never far from her fingertips! A contributor to writing blogs and short story anthologies, Mandy is also a regular speaker at literary festivals, events and women’s networking groups.

Mandy loves mashed potato, white wine, country music, World’s Strongest Man, travel and handbags. She has appeared on ITV1’s Who Dares Sings and auditioned for The X-Factor.

Mandy is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Authors and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband, two daughters and cats, Kravitz and Springsteen.

Visit Mandy’s Amazon page  US   UK

Visit Mandy’s website

Twitter: http://twitter.com/mandybaggot

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mandybaggotauthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2968625.Mandy_Baggot

Have you enjoyed this post? Follow the blog (see right sidebar) and miss no more posts! Sign up to Effrosyni’s newsletter to keep up to date with her news and special offers (very sparse emails). Interested to read more? Head over to Effrosyni’s Blog, where you’ll find her earlier interviews, book reviews, author tips, travel articles and even Greek recipes!

Hello peeps! Today I will share with you my experience with Draft2Digital (D2D) whom I chose to make a freebie book available to all major e-stores. In the process, I stumbled upon formatting issues that I share here. This post will also give you a couple of good reasons why you may choose not to publish your paperback with them.

Let me explain, first of all, that for my novels, I give exclusivity to Amazon, having registered them to KDP Select from day one. As a result, until recently I had no experience with Smashwords or Draft2Digital to make a book of mine available to other sales venues.

Back in the Fall, as I planned to publish a perma-free poetry book to attract new readers to my romance trilogy, I downloaded and began to read Smashwords’ infamous Formatting Guide. I am not ashamed to say, even though I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in IT, that the darn thing gave me a headache and I quit reading half way through. Next, a wonderful touch of serendipity provided the perfect solution. It was brought to me via an article by The Kindlepreneur (Dave Chesson) which showed the pros and cons of Smashwords VS the new kid on the block, Draft2Digital. The said post declared that Draft2Digital is preferable to Smashwords. For me, the biggest advantage of D2D was that they don’t expect you to read a mind-boggling formatting guide to apply, or to cough up a fee to a formatter to do the hard work for you.

So, without further ado, I registered with D2D and had my free poetry booklet sent out to new sales venues in no time. However, I did encounter an unexpected problem with the formatting and this is why I am blogging to tell you all about it. D2D converted my books into ePUB and MOBI format but it wasn’t done in the immaculate way Amazon Kindle does it… For my books, I use a .19 inch indent for every new paragraph. With Amazon Kindle, my book’s indents and line spacing look exactly as they do in the original Word file I upload.

When D2D converted my Word file into ePUB and MOBI format and asked me to check them for errors, I was surprised to see they didn’t look right at all. Take a look at two different passages in the book and you’ll know exactly what I mean:

The first line is all over the place in comparison to the rest of the text in any given paragraph – anywhere but honoring the .19 inch indent of the source file I uploaded. Now, here is where it got a bit awkward. I wrote to D2D’s Customer Services Dpt and asked for help to fix the problem, telling them I chose them instead of Smashwords as I didn’t know a great deal about formatting. To my surprise, I received a rather stiff response: “We are not proofreaders nor do we offer a full formatting service, even though we do help when asked to correct minor formatting issues.”

In the same email the agent declared: “Our conversions are made in Standard Narrative Fiction format which means that after every page break or scene break the first paragraph of the section is not indented.  If you look at any print fiction book on your shelves at home you will see the same standard format.”

The agent then offered a solution of sorts – to change the setting of my book from Standard Narrative Fiction format to Block Format, which changed the look of my book into this:

It’s not perfect but, as I had no other choice, I took it. As you can see, all the indents are gone. Furthermore, in the poems, the line spacing has increased… As I said, I had no other choice. At least this way there were no ugly discrepancies that jump out at you when you look at any given page. The agent told me she changed the setting in my book permanently so if I upload a later version it will retain the Block Format setting. So, if you go the same route as me and pick D2D, keep in mind if you encounter the same issues to ask for the Block Format option as opposed to the Standard Narrative Fiction format.

Truth be said, I do feel rather let down about that. In D2D’s home page, they state: “Your style guide is our style guide… Just get us your manuscript and we’ll do all the technical stuff for you.” I’ll say to that that there’s a whole world of difference between this statement and their agent’s response when I asked for help to fix the formatting issues. But, I do admit I was given an automated fix that met me somewhere half way. So there you have it – certainly not perfect as all the original indent and line spacing formatting is lost, but I didn’t have to bother with a formatting guide and it cost me nothing. In these respects, D2D delivered the promise. The publication process to the sales venues was incredibly fast and efficient too, with separate email notifications for every different channel. An excellent, FREE service.

D2D provides an option to publish your paperback with them using Createspace. I gave this a miss for a number of reasons. For starters, why give the middle man a percentage when you can publish with Createspace directly? The publishing procedure on Createspace is quite simple and self-explanatory. Other than that, be warned of these two important reasons why you may want to opt out of publishing your paperback using D2D:

• D2D only provides one trim size option for paperbacks: 5.5″x8.5″ with black and white print and cream paper. If you’re publishing a non-fiction book this restriction becomes an even bigger problem as the standard out there is cream paper for fiction and white paper for non-fiction.
• If, like me, you have to use the Block Format option with D2D as discussed above, it will work for your ePub and Mobi books sold out there in e-form but the setting will be lost when D2D sends the file to Createspace. The agent actually told me so – so your paperback may have the bad formatting shown above (if your original Word file looked on ePub and Mobi like mine did originally).

So, there you have it. My experience with D2D – Where I felt it delivered 100% and where it rather failed me. Mind you, I believe this company has a great future ahead of it and it seems active with closing new deals. A few days ago they emailed to advise they sent my book to a new partner – 24Symbols – and will continue to do so with any new e-stores they start collaborating with. Hopefully they will provide more formatting options in future as to do a better job, and maybe one day they will manage to convert Word files in the immaculate way Amazon Kindle does, leaving all line spacing and indents as they are in the source file. We can hope. I certainly do. So, thank you D2D! It was wonderful you came to the rescue to save me from that appalling Smashwords formatting guide. Yuk! Isn’t being indie hard work enough? Kudos to any of you out there who have braved the Smashwords path – I am in awe of you – but for any of you who’d struggle with that ghastly formatting guide like I did, at least now you have a good alternative. Despite the unfortunate formatting issue, I don’t regret my choice and will certainly pick D2D again.

Have you used Smashwords or D2D? What was your experience?

Thanks to D2D, Poetry from The Lady of the Pier (a selection of poems from the trilogy and a short story of sweet romance) is now available FREE on Amazon US &UK, iTunes, Kobo, Nook, Inktera, Oyster, Scribd and 24Symbols.

FREE Download Links: http://effrosyniwrites.com/books/poetry-from-the-lady-of-the-pier/

Have you enjoyed this post? Follow the blog (see right sidebar) and miss no more posts! Sign up to Effrosyni’s newsletter to keep up to date with her news and special offers (very sparse emails). Interested to read more? Head over to Effrosyni’s Blog, where you’ll find her earlier interviews, book reviews, author tips, travel articles and even Greek recipes!

Evanthia’s Gift is a heart-warming family saga that still stays with me even though I finished the book a couple of weeks ago. My mind often drifts to its vivid characters, their difficult life situations and heartache. Although it is a long book, it kept me interested and I couldn’t put it down, always starting yet another chapter to see what happens next. In terms of storyline and characters, this books scores top marks. However, I found the pace could have been better – there are many scenes that are not necessary to advance the story and therefore could have been omitted to make this a shorter, tighter read. Still, because it was so unputdownbable and its story/characters so palpable and haunting, I am giving it four stars. I am already looking forward to the next book in the series.

My rating:

4 stars

A heart-warming story and vivid characters that will stay with you.

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Do you enjoy drama and nostalgic stories about life back in the 60s – 70s? Give this family saga a try – especially if you have some Greek ancestry. The Greek recipes included in the book are also worth a try!

Check out my interview with Effie Kammenou on this blog!

Have you enjoyed this post? Follow the blog (see right sidebar) and miss no more posts! Sign up to Effrosyni’s newsletter to keep up to date with her news and special offers (very sparse emails). Interested to read more? Head over to Effrosyni’s Blog, where you’ll find her earlier interviews, book reviews, author tips, travel articles and even Greek recipes!

 For example, go now and have a listen to Matt Kruze’s The Villager on Bibliophone.

Today I’m pleased to welcome Laney Smith, author of the Time Capsule Series. Laney sets her romance in Lock Creek, a small town where people love to gossip and are anything but what they seem!

When Anne Howard moves to the sleepy town of Lock Creek, she thinks she’s found a quiet place to hide from her guilty past; that’s until the gossiping locals prove her wrong. One of the favorite topics of conversation here is the devilishly handsome Sheriff Derrick Decker. With a long line of hopefuls, and despite his resistance to commitment, Derick soon finds himself irresistibly drawn to Anne, but so does a charming firefighter, Trevor Thomas. Shy but sassy Anne finds herself torn between the two men. Is Derrick corrupted as the rumors say? Is Trevor Thomas really the saint he appears to be?

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Hello Laney, and welcome to my blog!

Thank you for the invitation, Fros. It’s great to be here!

Tell us, Laney, do you see yourself in any of the characters of Lock Creek? And do any of them have traits you wish you had?

I think it is a little of both. I tried to create a world filled with people I would want to know. You have to have the people you don’t want to know, also. Otherwise, it is too unbelievably perfect and disturbing. Therefore, I wrote the antagonists to be everything that puts me off. I like to think I’m nothing like them, and I don’t value their traits. Having said that, I think you have to put some of yourself in them, too, since they represent everything you don’t want to be.

Are there any hobbies or interests that you enjoy in your spare time?

 There are so many things. I’ll narrow it down to three: spending time with family and friends, just about anything outside (just being out of the house), and going to sporting events.

What are you working on at the moment? Tell us a little about your current project(s).

There is a fifth book in the works for the Time Capsule Series. I have a murder mystery that will be coming out. I have quite a few love stories that I’m working on. It is somewhat non-stop. I just roll with whatever pops up and I work with that until something else happens. It is fun and I’m really excited to see what the New Year brings.

Which are your favorite authors, and what do you love about them?

I like Nicholas Sparks because his stories are just beautiful. I like other stories, but The Notebook is probably my favorite. I also like Stephen King because his stories freak me out and mess with my head. He has his own style, and somehow, he has managed to hold on to that. I also respect the fact that he is kind enough to pass along encouraging and motivating words of wisdom for other authors.

What genres do you read mostly, and what are you reading now?

I like reading non-fiction, criminal psychology books. I wanted to be a criminal psychologist, so I read the true crime type books and that feeds that interest a little. I like mystery and suspense. I also have an appreciation for books that make you question the reality you know, as with Stephen King’s books. I enjoy anything that engages your mind. For me, if it is believable and realistic, I probably want to read it. As far as what I’m currently reading, I read on Sundays. I start a book when I wake up and usually finish them before I go to bed. I have a few on my TBR list. So, we’ll see what comes up. I recently downloaded “The Necklace of Goddess Athena.” Maybe I need to read that one next.

LOL – thank you, Laney, it’s an honor you chose one of mine. Do you have any advice for other indie authors?

Many authors are indie for reasons of their own. Not every author is indie because they weren’t “good enough.” So, to think that you don’t have to be as good as traditionally published authors is a tragic gamble. Actually, you should try to be better. Many readers have no clue what the difference is between traditional and indie. They couldn’t care less. You are an author with a published book, and they have expectations built around that fact. If you are the first indie author they ever read, be the standard that the others are held to. Being indie isn’t a crutch. It’s a challenge to do it better. If we don’t see it that way, why would anyone else?

Well said! What do you enjoy the most as an indie author that you imagine you wouldn’t if you were traditionally published? If you had a choice would you still go indie?

I love being an indie author. There are benefits to both routes. I write under a different name and I’ve signed with a publisher under that name. I have experience in both realms. There are benefits to both sides of the coin. However, with indie, you don’t have to have approval to do anything. You do what works for you. When you’re indie, you pick the cover art. The publisher told me they would show me the final cover once it is completed. With indie, you can be who you truly are. When I’m representing the publisher, I’m like their character and I have a part to play. Don’t get me wrong. That is kind of fun. It is just two different sets of rules. Both have benefits. I have now seen both sides. I have released a book, as an indie author, since signing with a publisher. I have no regrets for either decision. I have learned a lot with both options.

Good luck with that, Laney. Sounds exciting and very promising. Describe your workstation. Are there any favorite objects you have there for inspiration?

I have a desk that I usually work at. If that isn’t working for me, I will take the computer and go sit outside on the patio. As far as inspiration – my boys are watching. I have to do this so they can see that I bust it to do this. But, when the hard work pays off, it is a lesson for them, I hope. I also have different things that inspire specific characters, settings and scenes. Sometimes, it is a photo, a person, or a song. Sometimes it comes from the most unexpected things and in the most unexpected ways. However it happens, I am always thankful for that inspiration.

You have two beautiful children there, Laney. I bet they inspire you endlessly to keep on trying. Do you listen to music while you write and if so, what kind?

I do! I listen to just about everything, so my playlists look like I’m in the middle of some kind of crisis. I have had scenes that were inspired by a song. A song inspired the most heart-breaking scene I’ve ever written. That scene is in Lock Creek: Time of Death. The scene unfolded as though I were watching a movie screen as the song played. I’m pretty sure I will never be the same, ever! I like it when that happens. That scene broke my heart. I can laugh at myself for that. It is silly, maybe. However, I feel for those characters in the same way I do for other people that I care about. I know that music helps me write a lot. Even if it is just to set a certain mood or whatever, I think it is necessary.

Tell us about your website/blog. What will readers find there?

My website is http://www.authorlaneysmith.com. I have a lot of fun photos from various events. There is a listing for almost every interview or article. There is a web store where you can order signed or personalized copies of the books I have written or am currently involved with. There is a blog with a few postings. I think there’s an event calendar there somewhere. Of course, there is a contact form and causes I support. It has just about anything anyone would ever need. So, stop by, say hi.

Thank you for your time, Laney. It’s been wonderful to have you.

Thank you so much, Fros, it’s been a pleasure.

Laney Smith has enjoyed writing her entire life. She had her first poem published in 1995. Since then, she has written multiple stories for local newspapers. She is the proud mother of two wonderful, brilliant and talented young men and has two younger brothers. Though she currently resides in California, she has lived in places such as Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi and Colorado. This has given Laney an exciting opportunity to experience aspects of life that she uses to create settings, characters, and even ideals. Through the encouragement of friends and family, Laney has now decided to pursue her hobby on a more serious level. Thus, “One Year’s Time” was born (the first book in the Time Capsule Series) and it is with great pride that she brings this fun story to you.

Visit Laney’s Amazon page   US   UK

Visit Laney’s website

https://www.facebook.com/oneyearstime

http://www.twitter.com/OYTLaneySmith

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8411874.Laney_Smith

http://www.pinterest.com/AuthrLaneySmith/

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This week I stumbled upon a Facebook screen that helped me change my timeline in a way that finally suits me. You know how it goes… your friend list gets longer and longer and before you know it your timeline is packed with uninteresting (if not annoying!) posts while the ones you’d love to see from your favorite pages, best friends or family members are nowhere to be found.

Do you experience this kind of frustration? Fear not, for today I have the solution!

This is easy to do and will take you a couple of minutes. On any Facebook screen, click on the down arrow on the top right.

Choose, “News Feed Preferences”, then “Prioritize who to see first.”

This screen opens:

This is as easy as A-B-C. Facebook lists all your friends and liked pages here. If you click on an image, Facebook puts a star on it. This is how you tell Facebook to list first on your timeline the posts of these people (or pages).

You are allowed to mark a maximum of 30 people or pages. If you try to star the 31st, it’ll prompt you to un-star someone else so you can star this one.

This little tweak has worked like a charm and I’m sure will maximize your browsing pleasure as well.

Oh – in case you don’t know: You can also tell Facebook who your closest friends are (so you get to see their posts more often). Just go to your friend’s page, hover the mouse over “Friends” and click on “Close Friends.”

While on the subject of Facebook friends, I’d like to give you a piece of advice, if I may, and if paying it forward is your thing:

If an author’s posts are too many, or not of interest, please don’t ‘unfriend’ them or ‘unlike’ their pages. You can continue to support them AND not have to see their posts. How?

Whether it’s their private page or their author page posts that you’d rather not see on your timeline, go to the top right of the post where the down arrow is. Click on the down arrow, then choose to unfollow them. Don’t worry; they’ll never be notified you did this.

This way, their posts won’t come up again, BUT you’re still friends AND your like still counts on their page. It’s a WIN-WIN.

To read some really cool tips and facts on Facebook, head over to this awesome post on HubSpot Blogs.

You may want to subscribe to their Marketing or Sales posts – lots of fresh information there.

I’ll be back this Monday with another interview, this time to chat with a successful British author who sets her books in Greece: the fabulous Anne Zouroudi of the Mysteries of Greek Detective Series. Till then…

Happy weekend!

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Hello peeps! Today I’m thrilled to welcome award-winning mystery author, Anne Zouroudi. I picked The Messenger of Athens years ago, before I even became an indie author, and loved its powerful prose. I was delighted when in time I met Anne online, to discover the lovely person behind the popular books. I don’t know about you, but the covers of her Mysteries of the Greek Detective Series make me dream of sparkling Greek island waters and quaint tiny village scenes. If that’s where you wish to drift with your mind during your next read, Anne’s stories will take you straight there.

When the battered body of a young woman is discovered on a remote Greek island, the local police are quick to dismiss her death as an accident. Then a stranger arrives, uninvited, from Athens, announcing his intention to investigate further. His methods are unorthodox, and he brings his own mystery into the web of dark secrets and lies. Who has sent him, on whose authority is he acting, and how does he know of dramas played out decades ago?

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From the real life Shirley Valentine, Anne Zouroudi’s seventh Greek mystery with the popular detective, Hermes Diaktoros.

The olive harvest is drawing to a close in the town of Dendra, and when Hermes Diaktoros arrives for the celebratory festival he expects an indulgent day of food and wine. But as young men leap a blazing bonfire in feats of daring, one of them is badly burned. Did he fall, or was he pushed? Then, as Hermes learns of a deep-running feud between two families, one of their patriarchs dies. Determined to find out why, Hermes follows a bitter trail through the olive groves to reveal a motive for murder, and uncovers a dark deed brought to light by the sin of gluttony.

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Hello Anne and welcome to my blog!

Hello, Fros! Thank you for the invitation.

What was the first thing you ever wrote and how old were you then?

I was bitten by the writing bug early in life. At age ten, I entered a national essay competition and won a runner-up prize, a very smart ballpoint pen, which was presented to me in school assembly. Unfortunately several decades passed before I won any other prizes. From my teenage years onwards I always wrote, mainly short stories though I attempted my first novel at eighteen. When my mother died, I discovered that manuscript hidden away in a cupboard. Though it wasn’t as bad as it might have been, it won’t ever be making it into print.

What inspired you to write The Mysteries of the Greek Detective?

In a word, Greece. When I first set foot on Greek soil – almost thirty years ago now – I felt I had found my spiritual home. Everything about the place – the sea and landscape, the people, the way of life – seemed so idyllic. Over time, I discovered a few flaws and imperfections, but they serve to add spice to my writing. I feel my duty as a writer is to present the whole picture, the good and the bad. Before I wrote The Messenger of Athens I was reading a lot of crime fiction and couldn’t find any set in Greece, so I decided to try and fill the gap. I drew on the Greek myths too, because they’re full of the most amazing stories and characters, and that touch of the mystical brings an unexpected twist to my novels. In short, I wrote the kind of book I’d love to read.

And I’m sure many readers will agree with me when I say, thank goodness for that! Tell us Anne, do you see yourself in any of your characters?

As my creation, my investigator, Hermes Diaktoros, is naturally a man after my own heart. Like him, I abhor life’s unfairness and injustices. I’m very politically aware, and I’ve always been quick to support deserving causes and speak out where I see the need. Like Hermes, I’m also a stickler for good manners. There’s a scene in The Doctor of Thessaly where a woman pushes in front of Hermes in a queue, and he gives her cause to regret her presumption. I’m jealous of his ability to generate instant payback for those who behave badly towards others.

What are you working on at the moment?

I needed a break from Hermes after I finished The Feast of Artemis – writing seven novels in seven years was tough – but I’m very pleased to say I’m now working on a new Greek Detective novel, which will be available later this year. Having finished the Seven Deadly Sins, I’m moving on to the Ten Commandments, which will keep me busy for a while. In the meantime I’ve been penning short stories. My most recent is Swan’s Lament, a ghost story set in the Lincolnshire fens where I was born.

A ghost story? Yay – you got one reader hooked already! Which are your favorite authors, and what do you love about them?

I’m a huge fan of Neil Gaiman, whom I discovered only relatively recently when I read American Gods and found his (other) world view coincided pretty closely with mine. He’s a writer of huge imagination. His books remind me of Alan Garner’s magical tales, which I so adored as a child. And I love David Mitchell for the boldness in the scope of his writing, Niall Williams for the beauty of his prose and Michael Connelly for his ability to make me keep turning the page.

If you could choose another profession, what would that be?

I already have another profession, or at least an occupation. My partner and I have a little land where we grow most of our own vegetables and keep a few chickens. It’s hard work, but there’s nothing like the taste of food you’ve grown yourself. I’ve got quite green fingers – last year I managed to grow aubergines, peppers and even a couple of melons – not bad for dull, grey England! I’m also a keen cook, and I’ve always wanted to open a restaurant or a proper English tea-room. I may give that a try, one day.

Wow, these look fantastic! I bet you made Moussaka with these gorgeous eggplants!

Oh yes – more than once! (*grins*)

Being an author involves a lot of sitting around. What do you do for exercise?

There’s a cure to writer’s backside I’d recommend to every author: get a dog. A dog is the best possible companion when the words aren’t flowing as well as they might. They’ll trot along silently at your side for hours, until the knots unravel and the sentences begin to oblige, and all that walking eases the aching back and stiff muscles which are inevitable when you’re bent over a keyboard for hours at a time.

I was heartbroken to lose my much-loved canine companion of twelve years recently but there’s a new boy at my side now, a young rescue dog called Harry. Harry had a very poor start in life but now he’s being spoiled rotten and he’s thriving.

Oh, well done for saving Harry, and I understand he saved you too. Been there, Anne. You’re lucky to have found each other.

Thank you, Fros.

I see you’re holding one last photo there; can we take a look?

Of course; this is our splendid white leghorn cockerel.

Oh, very beautiful. Thank you for sharing these photos! Last question: how would you like to be remembered?

Quite simply, as someone who told a good yarn. That would be the ultimate compliment.

Thank you so much for being here with us today, Anne!

Thank you, Fros. It’s been a pleasure!

Anne Zouroudi was born in Lincolnshire and grew up in the north of England. In young adulthood, she pursued a high-powered career which included time on Wall Street and travel to Singapore, Canada and the capitals of Europe, but following a holiday to Greece, she abandoned the corporate world to marry a fisherman and begin a dramatically different life on a remote Greek island. Inspired by Greece’s beauty, people and mythology, she wrote The Messenger of Athens, a crime novel with mystical overtones featuring enigmatic investigator Hermes Diaktoros. Six other novels followed, each based on one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Anne’s work has received wide critical acclaim and has been shortlisted for a number of awards, including the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards and the Desmond Elliott Prize. She currently lives in the UK but spends as much time as possible in Greece, which is still the main inspiration for her writing.

Visit Anne’s website

Visit Anne’s Amazon page  US   UK

https://www.facebook.com/annezouroudiauthor/

http://www.twitter.com/annezouroudi

https://uk.pinterest.com/annezouroudi/

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I was eagerly awaiting the second children’s story by Nicholas Rossis, having loved the moral behind Runaway Smile. Musiville was, as expected, just as entertaining. Rossis has created another terrific story for little readers out there, this time talking about the benefits of coming together. Only deafening, annoying music can come out of the mouths of those who do and live without taking others under consideration. But have them work together and beautiful, perfect harmony can only be the result. Well done to this remarkable author who keeps taking me by surprise with his fascinating imagination and diverse storytelling abilities.

My rating:

5-stars

Another great moral cleverly presented to the little readers!

Are you looking for a good book that’ll entertain children and teach them some wholesome truths? Check out Musiville and also, the award-winning Runaway Smile by Nicholas Rossis on Amazon before you decide. Both, ideal choices.

Runaway Smile on Amazon  US   UK

Musiville on Amazon  US   UK

Read my review of Runaway Smile here

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Today I’m pleased to welcome women’s fiction author, Jenny Hale. Jenny’s book covers are simply stunning. Check out these three fine specimens:

“I absolutely loved this book! … A beautifully written story you won’t be able to put down and one of the best festive reads I’ve ever read.” 10/10 This Chick Reads

An uplifting, beautiful story about never letting go of your dreams, the special magic of a family Christmas… and the rush of falling in love under the mistletoe.

Single mother Abbey Fuller loves her family more than anything, and doesn’t regret for a moment having had to put her dreams of being an interior designer on hold. But with her son, Max, growing up, when a friend recommends her for a small design job she jumps at the chance. How hard can it be? Nick Sinclair needs his house decorated in time for his family’s festive visit – and money is no object. What he doesn’t need is to be distracted from his multi-million dollar business – even if it is Christmas. When Abbey pulls up to the huge Sinclair mansion, she has a feeling she might be out of her depth. And when she meets the gorgeous, brooding Nicholas Sinclair, she knows that she’s in real trouble… With the snow falling all around, can Abbey take the chance to make her dreams of being a designer come true? And can she help Nick to finally enjoy the magic of Christmas?

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“You’ll love Libby’s heartwarming journey as her life changes in ways she’d never have expected… A warm, light, brilliantly romantic story.” 5/5 GirlsLovetoRead.com

Love Me for Me is a beautiful, touching story about coming home, the importance of family, and the special place that first loves hold in our hearts. Fans of Carole Matthews, Trisha Ashley, Susan Mallery and Susan Wiggs – and anyone looking for a perfect, feel-good summer read will enjoy this.

Sometimes you find perfect where you least expect it…

Libby Potter has just lost the perfect job, the perfect apartment and the perfect boyfriend. Moving back to the home town that she couldn’t wait to escape when she was younger was definitely not on her to-do list. Especially as it means running into the man whose heart she broke when she left. Pete Bennett can still make Libby’s world stop with just the sound of his voice – even ten years on. Only now, she is the last person in the world that he wants to see. As everyone else welcomes Libby home with open arms, she realizes she’s missed that special closeness that comes from lifelong friendship. And, as Libby seeks to make amends with Pete, she begins to wonder whether she made the right choice in leaving all those years ago. When an amazing career opportunity gives her the chance to leave again, Libby will have to decide what her version of perfect is… and where she really belongs.

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Summer by the Sea is a beautiful, heart-warming summer read about sisters, first love and not always getting what we want – but sometimes ending up with exactly what we need.

They say there’s always one summer that changes you.

For Faith the one summer she can’t forget is when she fell in love as a teenager – only for her sister, Casey, to steal her man. Now, at the request of her beloved ninety-year-old grandmother, Faith has agreed to a family holiday – at their childhood beach house, where it all began. Faith hasn’t seen her sister in years but is finally ready to forgive and forget, enjoy the sunshine and relive happy memories. What she’s not ready for is meeting Jake Buchanan – the owner of the beach house – or the long-forgotten feelings he ignites in her. Can Faith overcome the hurt of the past, rekindle the close bond she had with Casey and make this summer THE ONE to remember?

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Hello Jenny and welcome to my blog!

Hi Fros! Thank you for inviting me.

What was the first thing you ever wrote and how old were you then?

When I was eight years old, we wrote a book in school as part of a program called “Young Authors.” We bound our own books using cardboard and fabric, and we edited the drafts before binding them. I still remember doing it and loving every minute.

What other writing have you done? Anything else published?

I’ve published five books and I am in editing for number six.

Wow, that’s great. Good luck with the launch. Any hobbies or interests that you enjoy in your spare time?

I love learning languages. Currently, besides English, I only know Spanish and not perfectly. If I had all the time in the world, I’d try to learn them all!

Do you see yourself in any of your characters, or do any of them have traits you wish you had?

When I write main characters, they are extreme versions of me. I have all the traits of my main characters in some form and, if I were put in those situations, I would probably have similar reactions to my characters’.

What were your most and least favorite subjects in school?

In high school, I absolutely loved Geometry and Algebra—I often joke that it’s because they are the only forms of mathematics containing letters. Once I got to college and beyond, there were more classes than I could list. I love learning languages, linguistics, and culture the most.

If you could choose another profession, what would that be?

I spent 18 years as an elementary school teacher before becoming an author. I am still teaching right now. This is my final year and I will focus on writing full time. So, I suppose, I could say if I weren’t a writer, I’d go back to teaching.

Do you have any pets?

Yes. I have a Chihuahua called Taylor.

Oh, how cute! Thank you for bringing a photo. What are the things in your life that you’re most grateful for?

In no particular order: I’m thankful for my family, my home, the people I’ve met along life’s journey, and my writing career.

A lovely answer . . . And how would you like to be remembered?

Above all, kind.

Thank you so much for being here with us today, Jenny. It’s been a pleasure.

Thank you too, Fros, for this opportunity to talk about my work.

Jenny Hale is a women’s fiction author from Virginia. Her books have sold worldwide, reaching top ten Amazon lists in the US, the UK, and Canada, and have been translated into multiple languages to be sold at major retailers in Europe. Her novel, A Christmas to Remember was a number one best selling Kindle Women’s Romance Fiction title in the US, and Summer by the Sea, released in 2015, was mentioned nationally on the Happy Every After blog for USA Today. She is currently at work on her next novel.

Visit Jenny’s website

Visit Jenny’s Amazon page  US   UK

https://twitter.com/jhaleauthor

https://www.facebook.com/jennyhaleauthor

Have you enjoyed this post? Follow the blog (see right sidebar) and miss no more posts! Sign up to Effrosyni’s newsletter to keep up to date with her news and special offers (very sparse emails). Interested to read more? Head over to Effrosyni’s Blog, where you’ll find her earlier interviews, book reviews, author tips, travel articles and even Greek recipes!

Today I’m thrilled to welcome Katie Hayoz, author of Untethered, a B.R.A.G. Medallion winner. Untethered is a wonderfuly written tale about a girl who’s unpopular in school, has family troubles and, much to her horror, keeps having out of body experiences as well. I absolutely loved this book and will be reviewing it soon on this blog. For now, let’s browse through Katie’s stunning book covers and get to know a little about her, shall we?

Sixteen-year-old Sylvie isn’t comfortable in her own skin. In fact, there are times she can’t even manage to stay inside it. Junior year is off to a less than stellar start for Sylvie: Her parents are splitting up, her little brother is sitting at her lunch table, and she’s the target of the school bully. Plus, she accidentally astral projects, slipping out of her body again and again at all the worst times. Sylvie is cast as the class freak and a medical misfit. She wishes she were somewhere else. Someone else. But it’s only when her best friend catches the attention of the boy Sylvie’s loved in secret since the fifth grade that Sylvie makes up her mind to do something drastic…

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WHAT IF LOVE TURNED YOU INTO A MONSTER?

Forget petticoats and demure female behavior. Melusine Doré prefers armored corsets and knives and slays evil creatures for a living. The grim and gruesome don’t frighten her; she’ll take on a cyclops or a dragon and not even break a sweat. But when her rival, the charismatic Levi Cannon, comes to town, all her buried fears begin to surface. Melusine realizes she is in danger of something much more horrifying than facing blood-thirsty beasts – she’s in danger of falling in love. Because love alone has the power to reveal a secret terrible enough to completely shatter her world.

Set in the muddy streets of 1850s steampunk Chicago, Immersed by Katie Hayoz is a dark yet romantic fantastical romp. It is a stand-alone novella, the first in a series of adventures that follow Melusine on her quest to rid the world of monsters…and her struggle to come to terms with every monstrous facet of herself.

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WHAT IF EVERYTHING YOU KNEW ABOUT YOURSELF WAS A LIE?

Melusine Doré is as practiced at guarding a secret as she is at wielding a weapon. Yet her past refuses to stay buried. Her worst fears are realized when Melusine and her companion, Levi, get called to hunt a beast in her birthplace of Malheur. The second she sets foot on her native soil, nothing proceeds as she planned: a beautiful tinker sets her sights on Levi, a gentle monster kills for sport, and an admission of love becomes a betrayal. Melusine comes face to face with the lies of her family’s past—and a truth that could destroy her.

Adventure number two in the Clockwork Siren series, Submerged takes us from the muddy trenches of steampunk Chicago to the sticky swamps of Louisiana to the slippery side of love.

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Hello Katie and welcome to my blog!

Hello Fros. It’s great to be here.

What has inspired you to write The Clockwork Siren Series?

I am lucky to be a part of the Blazing Indie Collective—a group of indie authors who got together to inspire and challenge each other. We decided to have a challenge with the goal being for each of us to write a romantic novella with a mermaid in it. Immersed, the first adventure in the series, was my contribution. It’s the story of Melusine, a female monster hunter who is afraid of nothing except falling in love. It is what I call a dark yet silly fantastical romantic romp set in steampunk Chicago. Lots of innuendo. Lots of weapons. And, I hope, lots of fun.

Sounds intriguing, I must say! Do you see yourself in any of your characters, or do any of them have traits you wish you had?

I can’t say I am like the characters in my books, but my values and doubts are the driving force of many threads in their personalities. The character in my YA novel, Untethered, is full of insecurities and self-hatred—that came from my own feelings as a teen. But I like to see determined, smart women in books. I don’t like romance that portrays men using force on a woman as something sexy. However, I do think women want and need love, and that we often have a difficult time coming to terms with different aspects of ourselves. Like just about everything I write, Immersed is centered around self-identity. Not sure what that says about me…

I share your views, and also enjoy writing and reading about strong women. What are you working on at the moment? Tell us a little about your current project(s).

I’m currently getting the third adventure in the Clockwork Siren Series ready for publication (February 16). Melusine and Levi discover someone is trapping and torturing monsters, and they will find themselves in a traveling variety and freak show to investigate.

Being an author involves a lot of sitting around. What do you do for exercise?

This is a constant struggle for me. Since writing more seriously, I’ve gained almost 30 pounds! My father-in-law rigged a desk to a stationary bike for me, but I realized I had a hard time concentrating on my writing while spinning away. So I bought a Fit-bit and am starting off by just being conscious of how little I move. My goal is to at least get up to my 10,000 steps a day.

Oh I feel you, Katie! I now use an egg timer to make myself take short breaks every now and then to stand and move around. Describe your workstation. Are there any favorite objects you have there for inspiration?

My workstation, like my writing process, is an absolute mess. There are papers everywhere, cards I meant to send but didn’t, spare change, reference books, pencils that need sharpening and my computer. This is how I write, too. Everything is just piled onto the page and it takes me a while to sift through and find order. I don’t have anything for inspiration per se, but I do have one of those lamps that imitate sunlight. My desk is in the darkest part of the apartment in the hallway, so the light helps me feel I am not writing in a cave.

Do you listen to music while you write and if so, what kind?

I have to write to dead silence. Or maybe white noise, like a fan or the hum of the refrigerator. Music makes me lose my concentration.

Finally I’ve found you, LOL! I thought I was the only one who needs total silence. If you could have one superpower what would it be?

I am the absolute laziest person in the universe. If I had a superpower it would be telekinesis, so I could clean the house, set the table and get the TV remote without lifting a finger. But then I guess I would be the size of an elephant. So next power would be teleportation so I could snap my fingers and be somewhere…oh, man. Same problem…

LOL! If you could choose another profession, what would that be?

Flamenco dancer. I took lessons for a while, but I would have needed to start at age 3, not 30, if I wanted to make a career of it. I love the control and power and intensity in this kind of dance. If done right, it’s impossible to watch and not be blown away. Plus, it’s not often you can wear a ruffled, polka-dotted skirt over the age of 8 and not look ridiculous.

What are the things in your life that you’re most grateful for?

Besides popcorn? No, just kidding. My husband had a ruptured brain aneurysm in 2012 and survived. I’ve always been grateful for family, but that cemented it for me. I’m so, so lucky to have two happy children and a husband who made it through something so difficult. And I’ll even add the cats, Oreo and Noodles, to that. They’ve brought us joy in some seriously tough times.

Sounds like you’re truly blessed, Katie! Thank you so much for being here with us today – and for the chuckles; you’re one funny girl!

Thanks a lot for inviting me, Fros. I appreciate it!

Katie grew up in Racine, Wisconsin where she acquired an irreversible nasal twang and an addiction for books with a slightly dark edge. She now lives in Geneva, Switzerland with her husband, two daughters, and two cats. She has been an avid reader of speculative fiction for years. While she has a penchant for the paranormal, she devours a range of books — along with popcorn and black licorice. She consumes all three in large quantities. Luckily, the books don’t stay on her hips.

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This book is my favorite by Angel Sefer so far. It takes the reader on an exhilarating ride and I couldn’t put it down. Through an intricate web of guilty secrets, lust, danger and heartache, Christina and Dan keep separating and reuniting again, their love and trust towards each other being tested throughout. Angel Sefer has grown immensely as a writer since publishing the first book in the series. The writing in this volume is superb and it took my breath away. I am amazed at this author’s capability to create such fast-faced, riveting reads. Also, her choices of setting remain as stunning as always. I loved that the story took me as a reader to so many different enchanting locations, the island of Kefalonia being the precious jewel that’s suitably introduced at the riveting climax. Although this is a series, each book can be read as a standalone. I am still going through them and can’t wait to start the next one now.

My rating:

5 stars

An exhilarating ride of stunning locations and constant twists and turns.

Do you enjoy romantic mysteries and riveting adventures with sizzling sexual tension between the protagonists? Angel Sefer’s Greek Isles Series will delight you. Dark Shadows of the Past is a great choice!

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Today I’m pleased to welcome Georgina Troy, or as is her real name, Deborah Carr. Georgina sets her romances on the enchanting island of Jersey, off the coast of France, where she lives.

‘Enticing, enchanting and intriguing’ Christina Jones best-selling author of Tickled Pink.            Book One in The Jersey Scene series by Georgina Troy.

People say that it’s hard not to fall in love living in the ‘Sunny Isle’ of Jersey, but for Bea Philips, still reeling from a divorce and the loss of her beloved godmother, she’s not sure she can find the time. Between her soon-to-be-ex husband trying to take away the home she grew up in, surly but attractive builder Luke renovating the house, and her old flame Tom re-appearing at work, she’s worn out!

Is life going to give Bea a break for once…and maybe let her fall in love?

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Enticing, enchanting and intriguing’ Christina Jones best-selling author of ‘Tickled Pink.
Book Three in The Jersey Scene series by Georgina Troy.

Event planners Izzy and Jess are badly let down when a Jersey socialite hires them for the busiest weeks of the season and then cancels at the last minute, leaving the girls with no bookings and no money. Feeling despondent, they try a night out to cheer themselves up, and meet the captivating and aristocratic Ed, who invites the two on a luxury yacht cruise to Nice, together with his two brothers. Romance builds through heady days of blue skies and warm seas, but when a last-minute wedding booking is offered, the girls must return to Jersey, and real life has to begin again … or has it?

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‘One to Watch: In Deborah Carr’s Downton-esque tale, Broken Faces, a soldier suffers a life-changing injury in the Great War’. GOOD HOUSEKEEPING MAGAZINE

Broken Faces is the story of four friends who have to come to terms with the changes in their lives brought about when one of them, Freddie Chevalier, suffers a life-changing disfigurement in the Great War.

It doesn’t take Freddie, his best friend Charles Baldwyn, Charles’s fiancée Meredith, and his younger sister Lexi, long to discover that the idyllic life they relished before the war at the Baldwyn’s ancestral home in Shropshire has vanished forever. They are forced to take charge of their lives and find a way to live with the consequences of the choices that they and others have made.

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Hello Georgina and welcome to my blog!

Thank you Fros, it’s great to be here.

What has inspired you to write The Jersey Scene series ?

I was a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme and sent in my book, which was then named Bea Stings, to be critiqued by an anonymous published reader. In her report she asked why I didn’t make more of Jersey in my book and it occurred to me that I was missing an opportunity to show readers more of the beautiful island where I live. A writer friend then suggested changing the title to include Jersey in it and from there my Jersey Scene Series was born.

What other writing have you done? Anything else published?

Although I write contemporary romances as Georgina Troy, I also write historical romances as D M Carr, and in December 2015 my first historical romance, Broken Faces, was published. The sequel to the book will be out later in 2016. The idea of this book came from my interest in my great-grandfather, Charles Wood, who was in the 17^th 21^st Lancers. I’ve always been a romantic and when I came across photos of men who’d suffered horrendous disfigurements during that time I wondered what it must have felt like for a young man, known for his good looks, to have to cope with losing them in the worst possible way.

Sounds like a very interesting read. What are you working on at the moment? Tell us a little about your current project(s).

I always have a few projects on the go at once; I’m an empty nester and have more time than I’ve ever had before to concentrate on my writing. I’ll soon be working on final edits for A Jersey Bombshell – book 4 in my Jersey Scene series that’s due out in April with Accent Press. I’m also working on the final edits for a psychological thriller, Run For The Shadows, being published by Green Shutter Books under (another) pseudonym, Ella Drummond.

My goodness, you’re keeping busy. Well done! Do you have any advice for other indie authors?

I love being able to control everything about a self-published book, but I think the most important things that an indie author has to ensure before publishing their book is that the editing is done well, the book has a professional-looking cover, and that they have a presence on social media – an author page on Facebook, Twitter account, Pinterest account, etc.

Are there any sites or writing tools that you find useful and wish to recommend?

I’ve been a reviewer/contributor to Novelicious.com for over six years now and it’s a brilliant site that includes authors giving their top five writing tips. I’ve learned a lot from reading these posts. I’m also a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, as I mentioned before they have a brilliant New Writers’ Scheme whereby unpublished writers can send in one manuscript a year to be critiqued. Many well-known authors have taken this route and I was lucky enough to be a member for a few years before being offered my contract with Accent Press.

Excellent recommendations – thank you, Georgina. Being an author involves a lot of sitting around. What do you do for exercise?

I have three Spanish rescue dogs that I take for walks on one of the two beaches near my home. We were only intending adopting one of these dogs after our Miniature Schnauzer died in October 2014, but we’ve already adopted three within nine months. That’s our limit though… I think.

Oh, they’re so cute! What do you enjoy the most as an indie author that you imagine you wouldn’t if you were traditionally published? If you had a choice would you still go indie?

I’m both traditionally published and self-published and I love being both. My Jersey Scene books were initially self-published but were taken on by Accent Press, a brilliant indie publisher, who signed me for a four-book deal. I love being with them and having the support of a professional editor, marketing team and being in a group of other supportive authors. However, I also enjoy the control of self-publishing, where everything is up to the author, from choosing the cover of the book, to the price and how it’s promoted. You can also see how many books are being sold each day.

Describe your workstation. Are there any favorite objects you have there for inspiration?

I write in a shed in the garden. It’s been featured in Woman’s Own magazine a few years ago and was even a category winner in the Shed of the Year competition in 2009. My desk is a 1950s table and I sit on a pink Lloyd Loom chair. The shed is filled with pictures, posters, old birthday cards, discarded manuscripts and is a bit of a mess, but I love it in there and being in the shed always inspires me to write something.

That looks wonderful! It’s been a pleasure to have you here today, Georgina, thank you so much for your time.

Thank you too, Fros, I really enjoyed our chat.

Georgina Troy is the pseudonym of Deborah Carr. She lives in Jersey, an island fifteen miles off the coast of France. Jersey has a great scope for romances, with beautiful wind-swept beaches and intriguing inhabitants and when Georgina realized that no one else wrote romances set on her island home, she decided she had to provide some. Her contemporary romances are published by Accent Press.

Her debut historical novel, Broken Faces by D M Carr, was published in December 2015. Broken Faces was a runner-up in the Good Housekeeping Novel Writing Competition and received a special commendation from the Harry Bowling Prize. Broken Faces is published by Green Shutter Books. This year, a psychological thriller, Run For The Shadows, will be published under a second pseudonym (Ella Drummond).

Visit Georgina’s Amazon page  US   UK

Visit Georgina’s website

Visit Georgina’s blog

Other links for Georgina Troy & DM Carr

https://www.facebook.com/GeorginaTroyAuthor/

https://twitter.com/GeorginaTroy

https://www.pinterest.com/georginatroy/

https://www.facebook.com/D-M-Carr-568839916628666/

https://twitter.com/DebsCarr

https://deborahcarrblog.wordpress.com/

https://debcarrs-daydreams.blogspot.com/

https://www.pinterest.com/deborahcarr/

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Oh my goodness. I simply devoured this book. I fell in love with the story straight away, sympathizing with Sylvie and her life’s difficulties. As if her huge crush on Kevin who notices her best friend instead, and her family breaking up weren’t enough, her body keeps embarrassing her in public as her spirit keeps projecting out of it. What a concept! And this intriguing situation reeled me right in. But, it wasn’t just the original story that did it for me, it was the exquisite writing and the characters that were so well fleshed out they felt incredibly real to the point that I miss them now and wish I could revisit them just to see how they’re getting on. A remarkable achievement. This book will stay with you forever and will make your mind drift to your own life’s troubles back at puberty – hopefully filling your heart with the same bittersweet feeling as it did for me. Highly recommended. This book whetted my apetite for more paranormal stories and I only wish they’ll be half as wonderfully written as this one was by Katie Hayoz. I’ll definitely look into her other books, and hope she’ll write a paranormal story again in future.

My rating:

5 stars

An intriguing story and characters you’ll never forget.

Do you enjoy paranormal young adult books? Stories about teenagers dealing with the heartache of divorcing parents or public ridicule in school? And what about the bitter sweet experience of first love? If this description made your heart leap, make sure to check out Untethered on Amazon. It could be what you’re looking for!

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Unforgettable! 5 stars for Untethered by @KatieHayoz #ASMSG
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Today I’m pleased to welcome romance author, Jan Romes. The timing is perfect, just after Valentine’s Day, to meet such a prolific author of delightful romantic fiction! Check out these wonderful covers… the two first books are only 99c today (do double-check on Amazon when you visit)!

Lindy McPherson is a self-proclaimed nerd and animal lover who dreams of owning her own pet store. She’s also pictured herself falling head-over-heels with a like-minded nerd whose passion for fur creatures is immeasurable. The only progress she’s made toward living the dream is to work at a pet store, and the only guy who’s paid her any attention – not for the right reasons – is the handsome stiff-as-a-board schmuck next door…

Read more on Amazon US   UK

Texas playboy, Ty Vincent, heir to the Vincent Oil fortune needs a short-term wife to convince his grandfather and the Board of Directors that he’s changing his ways so they’ll name him CEO. Ditching an environmental conference in Atlanta to play in Reno, Ty suffers razor-sharp chest pains at the airport. The pains were becoming a common occurrence that started showing up after he lost his father in a fiery crash a year earlier. The woman who comes to his aid not only helps him with what she can only assume is a heart attack but she also fibs to keep airport security and paparazzi from descending on him. She’s brilliant, unemployed and not his type which makes her the perfect choice for a temporary spouse. If he can ignore her extraordinary blue eyes then everything will go according to plan…

Read more on Amazon US   UK

Suddenly single, in her forties, and eager to do what it takes to start over, Elaina Samuels meets three women with similar circumstances at a cash-for-gold event. They quickly become friends and form the No Sweat Pants Allowed – Wine Club. This newly found alliance brings about some humorous escapades, a few tears, and a bond so strong no man can break as they try to cling to the past and finally step out of their comfort zones to find a happiness they thought they’d never feel again…

Read more on Amazon US   UK

Hello Jan and welcome to my blog!

Hi Fros; thank you for the invitation.

First of all, congratulations! You’ve produced quite a few romantic novels! Have you done any other type of writing?

Thank you, I’ve also had two short romantic stories published in Woman’s World Magazine.

Any hobbies or interests that you enjoy in your spare time?

I love to garden. As a child I played in the mud. Now that I’m older I still play in the mud; just differently. I also love to read (most genres).

Do you see yourself in any of your characters, or do any of them have traits you wish you had?

Since I write romance and women’s fiction, I definitely see a bit of myself in my characters. In real life I joke around and tease with sarcastic (but never hurtful) humor, so those traits carry over to my characters. I’m also a strong person in most situations. My heroines are the same.

What are you working on at the moment? Tell us a little about your current project(s).

My current work in progress involves a bachelor-to-husband who is modeled somewhat after The Bachelor/Bachelorette on television. Instead of an exotic location my setting is a small town in Ohio and the participants have to pay a fee to enter the contest. It’s filled with drama but as the story and characters evolve, there’s serious love at stake.

Sounds delightful! What genres do you read mostly, and what are you reading now?

I write contemporary romance but my reading taste varies. I’m a huge fan of historical romance, YA (dystopian), paranormal romance, thrillers and mysteries, memoirs, etc.

I’m currently reading: BIOPRINTS (O’Rourke Crime Novels Book 1) by Rob and Joan Carter.

Do you have any advice for other indie authors?

Follow your heart but also your intuition. If something feels right, go with it. If not, trust your instincts. You have to be your biggest fan. Believe in your work and others will too. Reach out to other authors. There’s a lot of information out there and authors are happy to share. Networking is invaluable.

Wise words! Is there anything you like to do to get the creative juices flowing when you write?

Before I write, I like to listen to music by Van Morrison, Robin Gibb, Ed Sheeran, and Neil Diamond, to name a few. Their music is lively and upbeat, not to mention romantic. As soon as the writing commences, the music goes off. There are days when I need a modicum of silence instead, so I’ll play a game of hearts or solitaire. Once the computer beats me (which is most of the time), I settle in and let the creativity swirling around in my head take over.

What are the things in your life that you’re most grateful for?

The list is infinite, but first and always…I’m grateful for family. Without those I love, nothing else would make sense.

How would you like to be remembered?

That I tried to be more of a giver than a taker.

Oh, that’s a wonderful answer, Jan. Who is your favorite poet? Quote a couple of lines from your favorite poem.

My favorite poet remains Robert Frost. My favorite poem belongs to him – The Road Not Taken.

‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.’

That’s lovely, thank you Jan! I understand you’ve just come back from an exotic cruise, is that right?

Yes, my husband and I have just returned from Florida and the Caribbean.

Did you have a good time? And, most importantly, any photos?

Oh yes, a wonderful time, thank you. And of course I brought photos, I remember you said (*laughs*)

Well, you know me… (*giggles*)

So here they are… in the first picture I am in Grand Turk in the Caribbean. The second picture is of the shoreline of Aruba.

Beautiful places! And this one?

This is an earlier picture from a library book signing. This sweet lady who bought the books is Patty.

Thank you for these lovely pictures, Jan, and your being here with us today. It’s been a pleasure.

The pleasure is mine, Fros, thank you for introducing me to your readers.

Jan Romes grew up in northwest Ohio in the midst of eight zany siblings. Married to her high school sweetheart for more years than seems possible, she’s also a mom, mother-in-law, and grandmother. Jan writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction with sharp witty characters who give as good as they get. When she’s not writing, you can find Jan with her nose buried in a book or finding ways to stay fit. She loves spending time with family and friends. A hopeless romantic she finds joy in sunsets and sappy movies. Though she doesn’t claim to have a green thumb, she takes pride in growing pumpkins, sunflowers, and veggies.

Visit Jan’s Amazon page  US   UK

Visit Jan’s  website  blog

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanRomes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jan.romes.5

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Those who follow my two blogs regularly may have noticed that I’ve been quieter than normal for a couple of months. The reason is I’ve been researching and experimenting like a mad thing. Late last year it hit me all of a sudden that I wasn’t happy at all with a few things on my site and general set up. So I sat down and wrote a list of what I wanted to do and, to my dismay, realized that most of what I needed would require the services of a professional web designer.

My heart sank. My already tight budget  didn’t allow me to consider that possibility. I live and get taxed in Greece, after all, and if you don’t know what that means these days, oh – how blessed you are!

So, knowing I had no other choice, I put on my virtual student hat and got to work. Other than learning a lot online, I also had the assistance of my wonderful author friend, MM Jaye, who imparted information with generosity of spirit and gave huge amounts of her time brainstorming with me as well. Before I knew it, I was learning new tricks fast and effortlessly.

The result? All the things I wanted to do I’ve now begun to implement at zero cost, other than heaps of my time, of course. I began with adding to my site a couple of plugins to solve some commenting and sharing issues I had.

I feel compelled to add here a little tip just for the sake of those who, like me, set up their site using Simon Whistler’s online tutorial: check out the plugins ‘Postmatic’ and ‘Better Click to Tweet’. The former now allows my visitors to subscribe to follow up comments (before, they were never notified their comments had received replies). The latter plugin now allows me to set up scripts for people to share my posts on Twitter (like the one you see at the bottom of this post). As you know, the set up we wound up with via the tutorial doesn’t allow custom scripts when sharing a post. Now, at least, I can create the tweet of my choice so people can share it.

Anyway, I am still working on a couple more projects, and hope to finish sometime this spring. I won’t disclose all my big plans today, but will announce the first two changes that are now underway:

Author services on EffrosyniWrites

There is now a new page on my site called, FOR AUTHORS. There, I invite any fellow writers needing help with copy-editing or proofreading to give me a try. Three successful enovel Authors already have repeatedly. I choose not to name them here even though I am eternally grateful for their trust. They tell me I have an eagle eye for catching typos and that I am meticulous with my advice. Plus, knowing from first hand experience money doesn’t come easy to authors, I offer my services for small donations that are a fraction of the going price. Message me privately and find out more, anytime.

Furthermore:

My professional background of 20 years, other than involving administrative and secretarial work, also involved translations to/from Greek, so that’s also on offer. Although I can think of many ways I can help authors for a small donation, I will highlight here my suggestion to make copyright-free, eye-catching images to accompany your tweets and FB posts. See a small sample of what I can do below but on the page FOR AUTHORS you’ll find more images.

(click any image to enlarge)

It is a known fact that images encourage engagement on the social media. If in doubt, check the infographics online or simply see this Twitter tip. It clearly states adding an image to your tweet will increase engagement by 313% !

FREE & Bargain Deals

The second project I am thrilled to announce today is that as of Friday, February 26, I will be posting weekly to promote FREE & Bargain Deals. At the moment, I am only considering submissions for a small donation of $5.50. In the page FOR AUTHORS, you will find the details of what the promotion entails. You will also find some traffic stats for EffrosyniWrites as well as Twitter Analytics data for my account, @FrostieMoss. This is my strong point on the social media so the promotion I’ll be offering is based mostly on Twitter.

Here is a tweet I got recently from my tweep, Theresa Snyder.

Since last October when I blogged our interview that featured her Moroccan Room (her whimsical writing space at home) I never stopped tweeting the post as I loved it so much (what’s not to like about Theresa, right, fellow tweeps?) Anyway, from October till now the post has got 19,900 views, and the tweet still gets RTs as if it were brand new.

For me, this is a great reward because of all the hard work involved. Because I’ve invested so much time on Twitter for the past 2.5 years, my account drives traffic that makes a difference, be it to a post on my site or the sites of others (Kindle Ninja and Molly Greene spring to mind here, for example, if you know them!)

Anyway, these are my news for now! My next projects include creating a new landing page for my newsletter and an ARC reader list, so I’ll be playing around with Mailchimp and Google Docs for a while. New announcements will be made here before anywhere else so watch this space! I hope my next implementations will give a few ideas to those among you who are authors. If you’re not following this blog, go to the side bar to follow from today (via email or feed).

Do you have a promotion coming up? In the page, FOR AUTHORS, you will find the submission form if you wish to try my new service. As mentioned earlier, the start date is February 26th. I look forward to putting your books in front of thousands of new readers!

Before I go, I wish to say a big thank you to the two people who’ve been my rescuers on a day to day basis. I’ve already mentioned MM Jaye, but also wish to thank Nicholas Rossis who helped me enormously setting up a Facebook pixel on my site the other day. Also, his support to me with Socialoomph is priceless, as always.  Maria and Nicholas, this is to say, thank you for being my friends. You guys make me feel truly blessed and honored with your kindness and generosity. 

New! Author promo & services on Effrosyni Writes. Please retweet #ASMSG #IARTG
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Hello peeps! I’m thrilled to host today fellow member of eNovel Authors at Work, Susan Tarr. Susan’s books will intrigue you, and she’s brought loads of pictures to show, some of them old ones related to her book, Phenomena, inspired by a real story.

As a child I knew Malcolm, who was then a young man. Dad often invited him home for meals. Malcolm was one of the ‘lost children’ forgotten or abandoned by their families. We followed his story from childhood to adulthood as best we could even after he was eventually discharged back into the community. When considering the tragedy and abuse of Malcolm’s wasted earlier years, it is a story of immeasurable sadness. Yet he ultimately rose above it all, and with admirable strength, courage and innate resilience, was finally able to free ‘the regular boy within’ as he had always wanted. I was raised within the community of the Seacliff Mental Hospital village so it was difficult to know where fiction ended and the greater truth took over…

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Miranda, a quirky, strong-minded and lovable young woman, splurges her inheritance on the old Miranda Bay Sanatorium in the sub-tropical Bay of Islands, New Zealand, simply because it bears her name. She knows little about running a business and depends heavily on loyal cousin Pansy’s expertise. In her frantic drive for success Miranda hires a motley crew to get cracking on the property. Hamilton, her lascivious financial advisor, seizes the opportunity to undermine her. But now with paying guests expected, she must make some serious decisions.
So the guests trickle in – hardly the sophisticates Miranda has envisaged. At the brink of despair, she experiences deepening depression and manic behavior…

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Bethany, recently returned from Europe, seeks medical advice for a stomach upset. Because of her mixed parentage, she has inherited a specific gene, which has made her a candidate for colorectal cancer. She challenges her diagnosis; she is too young for this kind of condition and she has too much life to live. And so she sets off on a whole new journey of discovery, taking her eclectic group of friends with her.

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I’m Jack. I’m a real pedigree dog, and I’ve got real papers to prove it. My parents have abandoned me into boarding kennels in the Far North of New Zealand, while they travel the world. I’m not at all happy about that. However, I shall do my best to maintain my dignity while getting on with the job. Among these unruly and noisy mutts, I intend to remain aloof and guarded. And as for that black cat with the skinny tail and missing eye, there’s no way she’s getting anywhere near me. At all! And I’ll keep a diary so when my parents return they can read how absolutely miserable I have been all these months. Yes, I shall keep a diary…

READ MORE ON AMAZON

Hello Susan and welcome to my blog!

Hi Frossie, thank you for the invitation!

What has inspired you to write PHENOMENA – The Lost and Forgotten Children?

Since I worked at various psychiatric hospitals in New Zealand, the inspiration for writing about historic mental health from the perspective of a young boy came about. The boy in the story (once he’d grown into a man) visited our home often as we were growing up. Dad would bring him home for meals so he became a small part of our family.

Do you see yourself in any of your characters, or do any of them have traits you wish you had?

When writing my books, I am barely below the surface. I guess to read my work is to know me. Or at least a large part of how my mind operates. Oh! And I see myself in pretty much every Sandra Bullock movie. I can guess what she will do next and how she will probably fail spectacularly. (*laughs*)

I love Sandra Bullock! I expect you had good vibes about her role in Gravity! What genres do you read mostly, and what are you reading now?

I love a good book of historic fiction. I’m fortunate to be reading Jana Petken’s latest work, prior to publication. She’s my favorite author.

Do you have any advice for other indie authors?

Never ask family and friends what they think of your WIP. My husband seems to think that gives him authority to wield a red pen. And family and friends want to preserve their relationship with you, at any cost.

Choose an editor once you have rewritten and edited your work until you are heartily sick of it. And then follow up with a proofreader. A proofreader is vital.

Great advice, Susan. Choose a male and a female character from your book and tell us which actor and actress you’d cast to play them in a film adaptation.

PHENOMENA would need Forrest Whittaker.

MIRANDA BAY & When the ROLLER COASTER Stops would have Sandra Bullock. Perfect casting.

Sandra again! Now I want to read your books more than ever (*giggles*) What were your most and least favorite subjects in school?

Human Biology and English were my favorites. I always wanted to be a missionary doctor. Math, I cannot do!

Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?

‘Wuthering Heights’ sticks in my mind for the wrong reason. It was required high school reading. It bored me witless. But then I discovered that same book in my personal library a few years back. I read and wondered at the brilliance behind such a story, and the writing. I laugh at the amazing growth in my reading taste and my understanding of others’ writing.

What are your five favorite books, and why?

Of Mice and Men. Well, Steinbeck is Steinbeck, after all. The simplicity of his writing wraps itself around you.

Geek Love. I accidentally discovered this Katherine Dunn work. Brilliant, crazy, demented writing. Where on earth does this woman get her weird ideas from?

An Angel at My Table. Janet Frame was an inmate at SEACLIFF Mental Hospital, which is where my work PHENOMENA the Lost and Forgotten Children is set. I get her! I get her scenery descriptions. Especially since I was raised in the Seacliff village, here in New Zealand.

God Knows. Joseph Heller’s take on King David and his court. Hilarious.

The Rain Queen. Katherine Scholes. I was married and raised my little family in Kenya, so reading this book and loving it just made sense.

In most of my reading, I am exploring our fragile mind and seeing things from a whole new perspective. That’s what grabs me; the frailty of our human condition. But I love a good humorous story too.

What is the greatest joy of writing for you?

I love my thoughts. I love the way my brain thinks. My writing generally crosses the genre, and happily so. I make my characters quirky, lovable and over the top in some cases. When they come alive they take me down paths I had never imagined. That’s when I let go and simply follow them. I form an emotional connection with them. Because I have several books on the go at any one time, I can direct whatever emotion I may be experiencing at that time into a specific work. You know that time in real life conflict when you say, after the event, ‘If only I’d said…’? Well, this is my chance to say exactly what I would have said given that chance.

I know exactly what you mean! Tell us, is it true you used to run a kennel with your husband?

Yes, that’s right. It also included a cattery, and we exported specialty cats to Europe, South Africa and USA. I would give injections to the dogs and cats, if required, nurse them back to good health, or sit with them when they faded away. We also rehabilitated animals from car accidents with physio and exercising and groomed show dogs or mutts. Anything animal/poultry was never too hard for us to master.

Wow! It must have been really rewarding for you both…

Oh yes, a glorious period in our lives.

You’ve brought photos!

Yes! These are the boarding kennels. You can also see our grapes growing over the fencing. There were 14 large kennels inside, and 4 large runs outdoors. The settings were all very park-like.

The cattery is the gorgeous wee house. Completed in color steel and with ranch sliders. Like a granny flat.

Wonderful! Is this your house in the last picture?

Not the one I live in now, but the one we lived in at the time.

I love it, so near the water. Looks absolutely enchanting. Thank you so much for sharing these photos with us, Susan, and for being here with us today. It’s been a real pleasure!

Thank you for inviting me, Frossie. I had a wonderful time!

I grew up way down south in New Zealand. Otago was very cold in the winter, with ice formed over puddles. We used to break those on our way to school. We lived near the old Seacliff Mental Hospital, and we shared our little primary school with patients from there. I worked at various psychiatric hospitals in New Zealand before sailing to Kenya, East Africa, in a 28ft yacht. From Kenya I wrote letters home to Mum and Dad that eventually turned into stories. And from there my love of writing, travel and tourism came into being.

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