A Tale of Two Hearts Released

This is the day! My very first novel has been released. A Tale of Two Hearts is the first installment in the Treasure of Morro Bay trilogy. And it has all the stuff the young readers love—an ancient mystery, an enchanted crystal, and a strange disk with very special powers.

So grab yourself a cold beverage and one of those delicious appetizers and come on in. There's a party going on! Sit here, in the leather chair. If you have any questions, just ask away.

What's that? Where did the idea for this novel come from? That's an interesting question. I actually got the idea for this book during a drive down Pacific Coast Highway 1 in California a few years ago. Morro Rock was the actual stimulus for this novel, and it plays a large part in the story, as you will learn when you read the book. I'm going to put a link to the Amazon site where you can purchase your very own copy if you'd like to. Here's the LINK!

And now for the news about what's happening today. In honor of the release date, I'm going to give away a signed copy. There's an obvious reason for this. As a self-published author, it's up to each of us to promote our own work and try to build some momentum and sales. So, here's a win-win proposal. In return for the opportunity to win a free copy, I'd like to enlist your help in getting the word out. Here's all you need to do to be entered in the drawing for the signed copy:

1. Leave a comment below.

2. Tell me that you've tweeted the Amazon link. (and/or)

3. Tell me that you've included the link on a Facebook post.

4. If you'd like to mention it on your blog, that would be great, too!

Please be sure to include your email address in the comment so I can reach you if you're the winner. Comments will be accepted until April 22nd at midnight. At that point a winner will be selected from a random drawing.

Thanks for your help and good luck!

Author! Sell Yourself!

I've recently read a lot of blogposts regarding self-publishing. Nathan Bransford's blog is a great resource for all things related to publishing, including epublishing info. This evening I read a terrific article about Amanda Hocking and what's in her immediate future. In case you're not familiar with Amanda, she's become a millionaire by self-publishing.

So, rather than simply paraphrase the article, I'm going to give you a LINK so you can read it yourself. I think you'll enjoy it.

Also, along the same line, here's another great article that shows exactly where the eBook buyers live. I was a bit surprised by the numbers. Check it out HERE.

If you've jumped into the self-publishing arena, leave a comment and tell us about your journey.

Pick a Book

In the post below, 15 authors provided links to their published books. Actually, there were 16, but I'm taking my link out of this competition. If you're a writer, you've always been told how important reading is. So here's a great opportunity to read the work of one of these authors. If you look at the right sidebar you'll see a poll containing their names. The order they appear in is based on nothing but the alphabet.

So, here's what I'd like you to do. Visit the previous post and click on each name in the Linky list. Each of those links will take you to a site where you can get more info about that author's work. After you've visited all of them and learned a little about the great stories, it's time for a decision. The question is:Which book would you like to read? Which book would you like to write a review for?

When you make that decision, simply go to the poll and vote for your choice. Naturally, if you'd like to purchase and review the book you voted for, well, that's fantastic! And I hope everyone does that. But here's a request, and the real reason for this post. When the results are posted, purchase a copy of the winning book and write a review on it. I'm certain the author will thank you for your generosity and your help.

The poll begins now and will end a week from today at midnight Central Time on Sunday, April 3rd, 2011.

Your Books - Redux

I'm moving this post up today so we can get a few more authors listed. I've received emails that this was a good idea, so let's keep it going. If you agree that it's a good idea, you can always help spread the word. It's all about getting the word out and making everyone aware of what's available.

If you've published a book, either in printed form or in a digital format for Kindle or Nook or whatever, just add your link to the list below. You can list your name or the book title, or both, but be sure to put the correct link in so we can get to it and see what you've created.

NOW HERE'S THE IMPORTANT PART: Be sure to get your listing in before 6:00 pm Central Time. At that point, I'm going to create a new poll of the listings. We're going to use those for a new feature which is going to be even more exciting. It's going to be so exciting, in fact, that I know you're going to love it. So be sure to check back later today and see what's going on. Have I piqued your interest? The important thing right now is to create your link. So just do it!

Tale of Two Hearts Trailer - Redux

I revised this a bit. I wasn't crazy about the way it looked. Hope this is a better version. Let me know what you think.

Amazon Quarter-Finalists

The news came out today!

I received an email from Amazon announcing the selection of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel quarter-finalists. I hurriedly clicked on the link to get to the page and look at the names. I scrolled down . . . and . . . no . . . it wasn't there. (Big sigh.) So, just so everyone knows, my story has been eliminated from the competition.

But I'm hoping yours hasn't been. If you're still in the running, leave a comment and let us know so we can root for you! If you've made it to this point, you've done great! We want to hear about it.

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Update

Today is March 21st, and in just a few hours it will be March 22nd. Funny how that works out that way every year. Anyway, any writer who has entered the Amazon Breakthrough Novel competition knows what that date means. It's the whittling down of the 1,000 entries to half their size - leaving only 500 contestants in the running.

Check back tomorrow and see if there's any news from this writer regarding how he fared. If you're still in the running, I wish you well. Leave a comment if you'd like.

Good luck to all, and to all a good night!