Three Month Check In- Amount of Books Sold on Amazon

 

Well it dawned on me that today is the three month anniversary of when I indie published my first book, Intuition, on Amazon. Since that time I’ve published two more in the series; Touch of Fate and Mind Play. Here’s how the numbers stack up on Amazon for the first 90 days of my writing career.

Intuition, published March 15, 2012- 2,342

Touch of Fate, published April 1, 2012- 2,246

Mind Play, published June 10, 2012- 263

Total books sold 4,851 on Amazon.com,

Not including any of the other Amazon sites. It also doesn’t include the 17,000+ free downloads from participating in the Amazon Select program that I ran on Easter Weekend. So far, not a bad start for my Bennett Sisters Series. I’m sure compared to some authors, that my numbers aren’t even the tip of the iceberg, but I’m happy at with the track I’m on. On July 2, 2012 all of my books go up on Barnes and Noble so wish me luck on this crazy journey into the unknown.

Had I known that people would find the crazy stories running around in my head entertaining, well, I would have tried this a LONG time ago.

As for the series, I’ve just finished plotting book 4, and will start writing it tomorrow. 

There have been several that asked how I did it, and my answer I think is luck. I picked a good genre, I picked to write a series, and I have friends that have supported me 100%. My writing skills will get better as time moves on and the more I learn about the craft, but it’s been one hell of a ride so far and I’m hoping to stay on this rollercoaster for a long time. (Even if my children tell me I’m crazy.)

So anyone that is considering writing and self-publishing, I wish you all the best and consider this as your invitation to hop on the crazy train.

Random Act of Kindess BLITZ!

A smile. An encouraging word. A thoughtful gesture. Each day people interact with us, help, and make our day a bit brighter and full. This is especially true in the Writing Community.
Take a second to think about writers you know, like the critique partner who works with you to improve your manuscript. The writing friend who listens, supports and keeps you strong when times are tough. The author who generously offers council, advice and inspiration when asked.
So many people take the time to make us feel special, don't they? They comment on our blogs, re-tweet our posts, chat with us on forums and wish us Happy Birthday on Facebook.



Kindness ROCKS!

To commemorate the release of their book The Emotion Thesaurus, Becca and Angela at The Bookshelf Muse are hosting a TITANIC Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ. And because I think KINDNESS is contagious, I'm participating too!
 
**I'm blitzing Tabitha Blake as my RAOK. I picked her because as a critique partner she has been like my rock. An honest opinion in a compassionate way is hard to come by when searching for partners. She has really helped me overcome any and all obstacles in my way and for that I will be forever grateful. Tabitha, for my ROAK gift, I'm offering you a $25.00 gift card from Amazon. May you find a story to get immersed in :)

Many Thanks for always being there for ALL of us who have needed you.
I really appreciate Tabitha, who blogs at http://www.tabithablakesnocturnalnights.com If you have a minute, please stop in and tell her how awesome she is!**

Do you know someone special that you'd like to randomly acknowledge? Don't be shy--come join us and celebrate! Send them an email, give them a shout out, or show your appreciation in another way. Kindness makes the world go round. :)
Becca and Angela have a special RAOK gift waiting for you as well, so hop on over to The Bookshelf Muse to pick it up.
Have you ever participated in or been the recipient of a Random Act Of Kindness? Let me know in the comments!
 
The Emotion Thesaurus: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13554235-the-emotion-thesaurus
The Bookshelf Muse: http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/

Reviews.. Love Them and Hate Them

When I first published Intuition, I received some outstanding reviews. Once my books were in the hands of 19,000 plus readers, I should have known things would change. My readers either “hate my book” or “love my book”. There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground, and I’m okay with that.

My books aren’t for everyone. They are complex just like how my mother cooks. A dash of this, a dash of that, a twist here and there. There is no measurements involved. A bit of suspense, a bit of romance and a bit of paranormal. If you don’t like those elements, chances are you will not like this book. But for those of you that do enjoy all of that in 5o thousand words, I believe you will find it light and entertaining.

My stories are fiction, they are made up and strictly come from my inner thoughts and my imagination on how I believe men and women would react to each other if thrown into the world that I’ve created.

I love hearing from fans and those that want me to continue the story, and I’m learning from those that hate it, because of their reviews. They are quick to point out the flaws and I’m learning from those. Hopefully, all of those “haters” are helping me to become a better writer (even if they didn’t mean to be.)

So I say, yes…keep them coming. I’m not naïve to believe that I can please everyone but one can try.

No matter what kind of comments you receive on your books, keep plugging away. If you’re like me, they’ll only get better, and 15 years from now when you have tons of books under your belt, those “haters” will take another look and fall in love with your characters, just like you have, and isn’t that all what we really want as writers……Well here’s to wishing

Single Mothers

Two people in my life gave me the same words of wisdom that I try to live by. Write from your heart and the readers will notice. Often times authors lose sight of why they write their novels, whether it be, they’re seeking money, fame, or just to get those pesky characters out of their head.

Heck, I’m one of them. My reasons were a bit different. Don’t get me wrong, all of those things would be nice and I wouldn’t complain, but the real reason I started to write Intuition was because I told my daughter she could be and do anything she wanted to. And like any strong and willful mother that wants to be a good role model, I wanted to prove to her and to myself that what I said was true.

I’m not proud to say that I’m one of those people who probably missed being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder as a kid. I’ve been known to try new things often, and normally before I finish the last, I move on to the next. This time was different. This time my reason was more important to me than any flights of fancy that I’ve undertaken.

My children.

Having and raising children, as a single parent is one of the most difficult jobs a parent can have. Being the sole person responsible for another person’s life, well-being, and happiness is hard business. At the age of twenty-three, I was divorced and raising a two year old, and I’m here to tell you, sometimes it was no pick-nick, especially experiencing the terrible two’s with no one to keep you sane, but  I’ve realized only when I’m about to turn the dreaded forty, that I had it easier than most.

I look back on those times and wonder how I didn’t pull all of my hair out and I know it was because of my own mother. The strong woman that she is raised me into the strong woman that I have grown into. At the time, I wasn’t sure I could handle paying the bills, putting food on the table, parent-teacher conferences, the cooking, the cleaning, the homework help…and the list goes on and on. But somehow I managed to survive and it made me a better person.

I’ve known and seen several women in my life that were single moms and struggling worse then I, and only now can I look back and be grateful for all of the support I had.

I might not have always made the right decisions and stumbled along the way trying to figure things out through trial and error, but at least I made a decision and learned from my mistakes.

My family means the world to me. My children and my mother are still the heart and soul that guides me to strive to be better. Without them, I wouldn’t have had the courage to not only prove to my daughter that we can do anything we set our minds to, but without my own up-bringing and love and support of my mom, I wouldn’t have ever had the courage to try.

To all of the mothers that are still learning on a daily basis, I salute you. I can only tell you one thing. These children, the ones that spit up on us when they were little, broke bones falling off slides, and had fevers in the middle of the night; I couldn’t imagine my world without them in it. My heart is full and now I count my blessing everyday, knowing that one day, because of the way they were raised and the values I instilled in my own children, the same values my mom instilled in me, that they will grow up to be good and kind, in a troubled society.

I wrote this blog for two reasons, one was because I wanted the world to know, what inspired me to write the Bennett Sisters and the other reason, what gave me the courage to put myself out there.

My mother and my children.

If you liked my post, you might be interested to read about another single mother in my new book Touch of Fate, being released Easter weekend.

Forensic Investigator, Abby Bennett believes only in the facts. When a case she’s working on takes a deadly turn in her direction, she’s now more determined than ever to catch the killer running rampant.

When fate steps in and brings FBI agent, Ryan Douglas,  into her case, she never expected to see the only man who crushed her heart 18 years ago that left her alone and pregnant.

Can she put her hurt aside and work with the only man who has the answers or will she end up dead trying, when the killer sets his eyes on her?

NaNoWriMo

I'm participating in my first ever NaNoWriMo (November Novel Writing Month) since getting bit by the writing bug and let me tell you, it's exciting. A goal of 50,000 words in 30 days is a lot for your mind to create for most people. The character's in my head are playing havoc with my sleep. They want their stories out and by god, they want it out now.  Not to mention the sixty hours at my day job, two kiddies that insist on being fed and an overactive puppy that's teething like a baby.

How do I handle it all? Faith? Prayer? Alcohol? You ask. Well none of the above. One of the things that I can't stress enough for all new writers is to never give up and join a critique group. The support you receive from these people, whom you might never meet is invaluable in keeping you motivated and not letting you quit. I remember reading somewhere that your first million words are nothing but crap. I didn't believe it. I thought "What could be so hard about writing Romance?" I've read thousands of books and could write one in my sleep. Boy was I naive.

I sat down with a story in mind and started writing. I didn't know anything about GMC (Goal, Motivation, and Conflict) I didn't there was suppose to be a "Hero's Journey", hell I didn't even know that adverbs are frowned upon. Let's just say, the first critique I got back had A LOT of red, pointing out my numerous mistakes. I revised and pressed on, still not learning what I need to know which would cost me several hours later down the line. I joined sites like Savvy Authors, She Writes, and purchased every available book and program I could get my hand on. The one thing that I have now figured out, is that, learning the craft never stops.

To be a writer, you have to write. To get better, it requires not only learning the craft, but practicing it as well. It's a hard habit to get into, the actual butt in chair, but it is so worth it, when you finish your first rough draft and think "I did that. All of that is created from someplace deep inside me and it's one of a kind."

I applaud not only the published authors out there, but the struggling ones too for not giving up. Perseverance will payoff, so keep that butt in the chair and write.

Without my critique buddies at RomCritters, Enchanting the Muse, and  the support of "From Start to Finish" during NaNoWriMo, I would still be pulling out my hair and using those dreaded adverbs.

You guys are the best.