Tag: #Booksarenotfree

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

My Review of ‘An Accidental Murder: A Yellow Cottage Murder, Book One by J. New

gibbsdream

yellow

http://amzn.to/2lC2a9c 

This is the first book I have read by this author and found her writing although not my usual type of read to be very much to my taste. The flow of the book was evenly paced and the characters were well written and clearly defined. I have to say the book didn’t hold many surprises in the outcome but strangely that didn’t deter from my enjoyment in the slightest.
The cover is perfect for the story.
I look forward to reading the next book in Ella’s journey which luckily for me is already on my kindle.
Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

West Midlands Attending Author: Scarlett Flame

gibbsdream

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1. Can we start with your name and where you’re from?
  I am the author Scarlett Flame and I am from Manchester, in the UK.

2. Most authors love reading, is this true for you and if so who was/is your inspiration?         I love to read, especially Sci-Fi, paranormal romance, steampunk (of course!), thrillers. To be honest I love an eclectic selection of genre. Two of my favourites are Dean Koontz and Anne Rice.

3. What genre do you write in or do you cross over into many?
 I write in a variety of genre. I mainly write erotica though. With main themes being BDSM, bondage, Dom/sub. I also have a Steampunk book that has elements of ménage, werewolves, dragons, magicians and any number of magical creatures featuring. I have two WIP’s at the moment and one has a Dominant, that is also a vampire featured and the other is once again a D/s but with MMF erotic scenes in it. These two new books are due to be published in Spring 2017.

4. If you could take any character from someone else’s book and make him/her your own creation who would it be and why?
I think it would have to be the Vampire Lestat. Loved these books by Anne Rice and would love them to be my creation.

5.When did you first start writing?
I began writing in 2012, secretly.

6. Do you plan every inch of your books or do you just let the words flow?
I do a combination of the two really but, I always write the first draft longhand. The words just seem to flow better. I write words I want to use in the margins and go back through and edit before typing the draft up. I do use a timeline and storyboards too. In order to make sure that the work has a proper timeline.

7. Who is your favourite character and why? (your own character)
My favourite character in my own books is one I am currently writing and it is Ellie, she is the main female in my upcoming book “A Gothic Romance: Vampires of Whitby Book 1”

8. Was there an event in your life that triggered a book, or even a scene in a book? If so what was the book and what was the event?
Hmmm now then a LOT of the scenes in my book relate to people, events and situations I have been in myself. But I would be telling tales out of school if I told you which ones.

9. Are you working on anything at the moment? If so can you share any tasty morsels?      I am currently about ¾ of the way through two very different books. One has no title and the other is the book about the Whitby vampires.

10. What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out?
Get your media presence in place early, and establish yourself. Do your homework too and double check your work and get a good editor.

11. What do you do when you’re not writing?
I have six children, all boys, and five grandkids. I am also a committee member at the local mining museum, which is where my own book signing events take place in Manchester. I am also involved in several local projects, so never a spare moment just now

12.What is the hardest part of the whole writing, editing, marketing process for you?
Finding the time to both write, edit, format, and then advertise your books. I am currently looking for a PA to help me out on that score to be perfectly honest.

13. We all have those friends or family members who make sweeping statements about our writing or the process, which is your particular bug bear?
That people refer to erotic writing as porn. It is quite different. The use of words for example. You can write erotica and still be a wordsmith. People also assume you are sat in stockings and suspenders when you write. Which makes me laugh as quite often it is pj’s, dressing gown and slipper and of course the ubiquitous glass of red wine.

14.What is your idea of happiness?
To be loved, and to love. To be able to curl up, and read in peace with a nice cup of tea, to being with family and friends for a meal and a good natter. Or, maybe curled up with the one you love. All of the above, really.

15. For this one I want you to showcase your creativity by painting me a picture, with words, of your ideal setting to write in.
My ideal setting is sat on the settee, quietly, with no disturbance. Phone off, cuppa tea and some gingernuts to munch on.

16. What makes you laugh/cry?
Watching my children and grandchildren perform in school plays and the like. Kindness also makes me cry. I have cried when I shouldn’t really. I was a children’s nurse and I remember crying assisting to lay out a young man who has died when a student nurse. I got told by the nurse I was working alongside, that if that doesn’t move you to cry, leave the profession. Empathy is a huge part of nursing

17. You’re stranded on a desert island and you can take three men/women who would they be and why? This can be practical or purely sexual in nature.
Oh, put me on the spot then as I have 6 kids and love them all to the stars and back!  But, if it was purely sexual hmmm. A handsome Dom would have to among them. Or maybe three gorgeous Doms that all wanted to take care of me.

18.What is your most annoying habit?
I procrastinate – a LOT!

19.Please tell me about your books? For each one please send a pic (kindle cover would be perfect)
This is some blurb about A Valentine’s Bind: Manchester Dominants and submissives Book

Winner in the #erotica category of Top 50 self-published

books of 2016 and 5th overall

Nominee in the erotica category Summer Indie Books 2016

 

Go on treat yourself it is a BARGAIN

 

and #FREE to read on KU too

 

★*´¨)¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)

(¸.• ** #FREE to read with #KindleUnlimited

99c US 99p UK

Available in paperback

 

When University student Nicky Johnson decides to make an impromptu visit to a #BDSM club with friends she get more than she bargained for.

The alcohol fuelled evening finds her asleep on her sofa the next day, suffering from memory loss.

But who brought her home?

#Dominant Dariel Pearson shows her that #spanking and submission can be empowering.

Will this be a life changing experience for Nicky?

This New Adult contemporary romance is a steamy, sexy tale of love, dominance and #submission.    This is The Prophecy Unfolds: Dragon Queen book 1    ★*´¨)¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.• *#‎FREE‬ to read with Kindle Unlimited

#Steampunk #Werewolves #Dragons #Magicians

#ParanormalRomance #Erotica

#Shifter #Ménage

 

Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away – Anon.

 

For Alex, this was supposed to be a fresh start.

New job, new part of the country.

But she got much more than she bargained for.

As she travelled through the Snowdonian National park, with its remote villages and Wales’ highest mountains, she stops to eat a bite to eat.

There she is kidnapped by three strangers, and transported to the Dystopian, Steampunk world of Syros.

A world of dragons, magic and werewolves.

Where science fiction meets science fact.

This is only the beginning of an epic urban fantasy, and the fulfilment of a prophecy over 200 years old.

Will she survive on a planet where three factions battle for dominance?

 

Book One of the series Dragon Queen   Finally Bound for Passion: Erotic Love Stories. My debut book       

★*´¨)¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)

(¸.• ** #FREE to read with #KindleUnlimited

Amazon Bestseller in #Paranormal Erotica

Available in paperback

#Ménage #ParanormalRomance #Erotica #BDSM

 

Newly updated and edited

 

When Vivienne sits inconsolable in the hospital chapel, the last encounter she expects is a fervent entanglement with an otherworldly being, as passions increase she learns for the first time in her life the true meaning of out of this world. In the second, Sarah meets a new lover after telling him all her intimate fantasies in an internet chat room. And, the final story concerns the journey a young woman takes, as a Dominant offers to show her the ropes, in exchange for her submission via BDSM. Individually these stories are hot, but together they are sizzling

 

 Remember to Turn up the AC!, June 4, 2016

By 

1DreamReader

Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

This review is from: Bound for Passion: Erotic Love Stories (Kindle Edition)

I have not read a lot of Erotica but enough to say that this Novella was enough to turn the heat up.
The first short story was a full-on excitement as a young women anticipates meeting her cyber lover in the flesh to live out her fantasy. Just the prelude to the meeting was a poetic foreplay of words. Let me tell you, I felt the heated anticipation with her every step of the way, as the author does not skimp on the juicy details. All three of the stories were well written and had good character descriptions. If you are looking to spice up your love life, then this book is a must for you!
Remember to turn up the AC!

Lightning round
Tea or Coffee?                Tea (I am intolerant of coffee)
Cash or credit?                Cash
Cats or Dogs?                   Dogs
Beach or Mountain?           Mountains
Summer or Winter             Winter
Sweet or Savoury                    Savoury
Early riser or late riser?            Early riser
Morning or Night?             Night
Christmas Tree – real or fake?       real
Sex – Lights on or off?      Lights on

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions.
Please leave Facebook, Twitter, Website links so we can check you out further.

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

West Midlands Attending Author Interview: Catherine Green

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1. Can we start with your name and where you’re from?

My name is Catherine Green, aka SpookyMrsGreen: The Pagan Housewife, and I am from Cheshire, UK. Originally, I come from the Staffordshire Moorlands.

2. Most authors love reading, is this true for you and if so who was/is your inspiration?

Of course I love reading, always have done! My early inspiration came from authors including Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl. As I grew older I discovered Judy Blume, LJ Smith and Anne Rice. More recently my inspiration comes from Laurell K. Hamilton and her Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series.

3. What genre do you write in or do you cross over into many?

I write paranormal romance and contemporary English Gothic. My stories are primarily romance and stories about what happens when you fall in love, but my characters usually turn out to be supernatural or magical in some way. It just happens! I do have some humans in the stories as well…

4. If you could take any character from someone else’s book and make him/her your own creation who would it be and why?

I wouldn’t like to take on another author’s character, but I do admire Anita Blake from the author Laurell K. Hamilton. She is a heroine, but she has many flaws, and these are explored and even worked on throughout the series, which I think is important. I don’t like my book characters to be perfect, it gets boring that way!

5. When did you first start writing?

I have been writing since the first time I learned to form words. As a child I would copy out pages of prose from my favourite story books simply because I loved the act of writing, and the way my writing flowed across the page. As I grew older I wrote diaries (journals), and eventually I began to dabble in short stories and poems. My novel writing only began about eight years ago.

6. Do you plan every inch of your books or do you just let the words flow?

Oh no, I’m too impatient for that! I tried planning my first novel, Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), and I still occasionally refer to my character notes and location details if I get confused with my current manuscript. But I am what we refer to as a “pantser” – I write by the seat of my pants, typing away furiously and seeing what happens. Then I tidy up the writing later.

7. Who is your favourite character and why? (your own character)

Hmm, that’s a tricky one because I love them all! Alright, I do secretly have a favourite: Marcus Scott. He appears in my very first novel, Love Hurts, and he was only supposed to be a minor support character. He is a vampire, friends with the Mason brothers, and he develops a fixation with my heroine, Jessica Stone (read the books to find out why!). Marcus Scott became very insistent while I was writing the first three Redcliffe novels, and eventually I gave in and wrote his story, which was published as The Darkness of Love. He became a vampire during the late 1800s, on the whim of his Lord and Master on an English country estate.

8. Was there an event in your life that triggered a particular book, or even a scene in a book? If so what was the book and what was the event?

My books are really a collection of memories and experiences with added supernatural twists. The main theme throughout all my stories is the entity of being in love, and what it means to love another person. I have a very passionate relationship with my husband and we have been together since we were teenagers. A lot of our personal drama has appeared in my novels in some guise or other, along with themes I have observed from my peers.

9. Are you working on anything at the moment? If so can you share any tasty morsels?

Oh yes, lots of things! Let me see… Well primarily I am working on the final three books in the Redcliffe novels series. Jessica Stone has transitioned fully into the person she was supposed to be, and now she and her spirit animal are learning their place in the Redcliffe werewolf pack.

In other news, I am working on a series of novels set in and around the North West of England featuring vampire hunters and their adventures. One is about a vampire hunter who lives on a narrowboat and takes on a hit that unravels some very deep, very dark and very surprising secrets about herself and her occasional work partner. If angels and demons are your thing, you might like to read this one…

I have a first draft of a novel about a retired vampire hunter who is married with young children when she is persuaded to return to her old job for one last target – the female vampire that almost killed her ten years previously. She must hide her previous identity from her husband in order to protect her family, but of course it never works out that way, does it?

And then we have Hunting the Hunted. This is almost ready for publication, and might even lend itself to a sequel, I haven’t decided yet. This one follows the story of a vampire called Frederick James who haunts the old tunnels beneath Manchester city centre. He is targeted by a group of hunters, but they struggle to capture him when he meets a witch who entraps him in a love affair before revealing the true nature of his intentions. This novel has strong homosexual themes and is a bit more experimental for me as a writer. I like it!

10. What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out?

Always be positive. When you feel the urge to write, just do it, and don’t worry about the consequences. If you decide to share your work with the world then fabulous, but be prepared for a long and arduous journey on your quest for fame and fortune. Ultimately, we write because we have to. It is in our nature.

11. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Mostly I wrangle children! I have two daughters, one aged 6 and one aged 3, so they keep me busy. We also have a big soft dog and two pet turtles. When I’m not desperately trying to tidy my messy house, I like to indulge in hobby crafts, mainly card making. My current obsession is craft stamps, but I also enjoy decoupage. I am also a Tarot reader, and am doing a Tarot reading every day for my #365DaysofTarot challenge. I plan to compile a non-fiction book with the results when it is finished.

12. What is the hardest part of the whole writing, editing, marketing process for you?

Definitely marketing. It is such a complicated, huge and confusing task. Where do we start? Who do we advertise to? How do we advertise to them? I am still exploring this one, so I will get back to you with an answer eventually (I hope!)

13. We all have those friends or family members who make sweeping statements about our writing or the process, which is your particular bug bear?

I don’t really have a bug bear because truthfully my friends and family don’t discuss my writing all that much. We are often too busy being consumed by the demands of the children and whatever domestic crisis is taking centre stage. I sort of get on with it quietly in the background.

14. What is your idea of happiness?

Happiness to me is an equal partnership between myself and my husband, where our parental duties are shared and I am free to work on my craft without hurrying or having to stop for mealtimes and bedtime routines etc. You’ve probably guessed that I am still struggling to achieve that balance!

15. For this one I want you to showcase your creativity by painting me a picture, with words, of your ideal setting to write in.

My personal library is a room at the back of my house. It is average size, square, with French doors opening out onto a picturesque garden where colourful flowers bloom in the borders, and my children play happily on the lawn. I have a Victorian antique desk to the left of the French doors, on which sits my laptop, notebooks, printer and coffee mug. Two of the walls are lined with floor to ceiling bookshelves, and in front of the Victorian fireplace sits a small, velvet sofa on which I can rest and read when I need a break. The polished floorboards are covered with a soft rug, and the colour scheme is a mixture of muted purples and greens.

How does that sound?

Lovely (me)

16. What makes you laugh/cry?

My children, my husband and my dog mostly.

17. You’re stranded on a desert island and you can take three men/women who would they be and why? This can be practical or purely sexual in nature.

Ooh, I haven’t thought about that! I might say I will just take my husband for now, because at least then I would get some quality time with him.

18. What is your most annoying habit?

Impatience! I cannot wait for things to happen, I always try and hurry them along. It doesn’t always work, and I am trying to calm down a bit and let things happen naturally.

19. Please tell me about your books?

Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) is about a young woman who runs a bookshop in Cornwall with her best friend. She falls in love with a local police detective and later discovers that he is a vampire, and that his identical twin brother is a werewolf. She is dragged into their complicated and dangerous lives, to her detriment, where secrets are told and lives are lost…

Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) is book 2 in the developing Redcliffe series. In the quiet Cornish seaside town of Redcliffe, Jessica Stone recovers from an horrific werewolf attack and comes to terms with revelations that her lover, Jack Mason, is a vampire, his brother, Danny, the werewolf pack leader, and her best friend, Simon, is a werewolf.  Add to that her discovery that she is a witch, and life is suddenly a whole lot harder than it used to be. Jessica has to fight for her own life and Jack’s when faced with his jealous vampire master who wants her old lover back. But things are never easy, and a vampire master is not so easy to defeat…

Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel) – Life has changed forever in Redcliffe, Cornwall. Jessica Stone used to be a normal, happy human. Now she is an angry, conflicted and confused witch. It all happened when she met Detective Jack Mason and his identical twin brother Danny. Jessica almost died twice, fell into a love triangle, and she became a murderer. Now she faces the ultimate challenge as she continues the fight to save the man she loves, while simultaneously struggling with her lust for his werewolf brother and their vampire friend. Can she survive, or will love finally end her life completely?

The Darkness of Love – Lord Gregory Stockton is a powerful and respected businessman embracing the modern era of the Victorian industrial revolution. He has a grand and beautiful manor house complete with a repertoire of servants, and his young wife is charming, attractive, and the perfect lady to his gentleman. The only thing they lack is an heir to the family estate. Lord Gregory knows he can never produce a child, for he is a vampire, although his wife and servants know nothing of his secrets. There are other ways to provide heirs for his estate, however, and Lord Gregory has noticed the romantic attraction between his wife and the young stable hand Marcus Scott. He hatches a plan to bring the would-be lovers together, and then cruelly tear them apart as he continues to build his empire and secure his power base in the south of England. The humans are pawns in the vampire’s game of lust, love and control.

The Vampire of Blackpool – The vampire, the witch, and the hunter battle it out in a contemporary Gothic adventure in Northern England.

Meredith Hanson lives in Blackpool, the former Victorian holiday hotspot of Northern England. She masquerades as a reclusive author, feeding on the blood of unsuspecting tourists without remorse. Her life takes on new meaning when she meets a young witch in a local pub one evening. Despite Meredith’s cold demeanour, she finds herself oddly fascinated with Samantha Morris, and falls into an accidental relationship with the girl. It is at this time that a vampire hunter arrives in Blackpool. He is tough, he is determined, and his next target is an ancient vampire that has been spotted in the tourist town. He intends to bring her down and destroy her to save the lives of innocent humans.

Will he succeed? Or will the experienced vampire seductress be the cause of his undoing?

My Vampire Boyfriend: A Redcliffe Short Story Anthology – The pretty seaside town of Redcliffe in Cornwall is a popular location for holidaymakers during the summer season. It has good waves for surfing, good pubs for socialising, and a vibrant tourist industry. It is also home to a hidden werewolf pack, and several vampires and witches, who all live within human society, pretending to be just like the rest of us.

Bookshop owner Jessica Stone used to be one of those humans. Then she met Detective Jack Mason and his twin brother, Danny. They took her on a wild adventure that shows no sign of slowing down. Now she is deeply embedded with the vampires and werewolves, and learning the power of their lust, and a magnetic attraction that is just too hard to ignore. She is also learning about her own true heritage, and how to feed her desires and satisfy her powerful animal familiar that resides within.

This anthology contains adult themes, and scenes of a sexual nature.
20. Lightning round
Tea or Coffee? – Coffee
Cash or credit? – Cash
Cats or Dogs? – Dogs
Beach or Mountain? – Beach
Summer or Winter – Spring!
Sweet or Savoury – Sweet
Early riser or late riser? – Late riser
Morning or Night? – Night
Christmas Tree – real or fake? – Fake
Sex – Lights on or off? – Lights on!

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions.
Please leave Facebook, Twitter, Website links so we can check you out further.

Author of British paranormal romance series The Redcliffe Novels, Catherine Green was raised on books from a young age, and has happy memories of Saturday mornings spent in her small local library, devouring the contents of the shelves. Catherine has always been fascinated by the supernatural world, and it feels natural for her to write about vampires, werewolves, witches and other mystical creatures in her contemporary stories.

If you sign up to Catherine’s newsletter, she will send you a free copy of her Redcliffe short story, It’s Complicated, to introduce you to her fictional supernatural seaside town in Cornwall, England.

 

More recently, Catherine released her contemporary English Gothic novel, The Vampire of Blackpool. These novels will show you the darker, sexier side of our favourite British seaside resorts!

 

You can find Catherine in the following places:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpookyMrsGreen

Author blog: http://www.catherinegreenauthor.blogspot.co.uk/

Twitter page: https://twitter.com/SpookyMrsGreen

The Pagan Housewife Blog: http://spookymrsgreen.com/

 

 

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

The Storm Creature – Teaser

gibbsdream

storm-8

psychological thriller

Amazon: http://mybook.to/StormCreature

At eighteen, Lucy had everything going for her: a supportive family, a rapt audience, and her dream of becoming a published author about to be realised.
A single moment in time on a dark, rainy road changes things forever.
That was then, but this is now. Lucy has suffered through eight years of haunting visions and thoughts with every raging storm thanks to a tempestuous storm creature who torments her. What does the baleful creature want with Lucy? Will the troubled woman ever be able to let go of the past and forgive herself?
Or will she sacrifice everything she holds dear?

If you want more information about the book click this link: https://gibbsdream.wordpress.com/psychological-thriller-the-storm-creature/

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

A Lifetime or a Season- Teaser

gibbsdream

lifetime-3

My Mother had bee one of those alluring women, a flaming redhead, who had men baying at her feet like enslaved dogs. Not for her the indifference of men, she had played the game to the hilt and every man that walked out of her life was a man she had send packing.

Find out more about Athena’s journey to self-discovery as she throws aside the shackles that bind her in.

Novelette pricing:

Kindle 0.99

Paperback: £3.50/ $5.00

Amazon Link: http://mybook.to/ALifetime 

For more information and reviews: https://gibbsdream.wordpress.com/my-published-stories-a-lifetime-or-a-season/ 

 

 

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

West Midlands Attending Author: Zak Jane Keir

gibbsdream

 

unnamed.jpg

1. Can we start with your name and where you’re from?

My name is Zak Jane Keir, though I also write under Sallyanne Rogers. I’m from south London.

2. Most authors love reading, is this true for you and if so who was/is your inspiration?

Yes, I am a total bookworm and always have been. I think the first writers who made me want to write were Ed McBain and Paul Breeze, though I also love Stephen King, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Jilly Cooper.

3. What genre do you write in or do you cross over into many?

In terms of published work, it’s nearly all erotica and erotic romance. I do dabble in horror and crime fiction occasionally, but I never seem to get those stories finished.

4. If you could take any character from someone else’s book and make him/her your own creation who would it be and why?

Ooh, that’s a tricky one. I mostly like (and almost believe in) other people’s characters the way they have been written. I suppose I’m not the only person who might have liked to make Anastasia Steele less of a vacant, soppy dipshit.

5. When did you first start writing?

When I was a kid. I was about 7 or 8 and I sat down one day and wrote a ‘book’ about murdered ballerinas who came back as ghosts. I was always thrilled when homework involved writing a story, as well.

6. Do you plan every inch of your books or do you just let the words flow?

A bit of a mixture. Some books have started with a synopsis (usually when I planned from the start to submit them to a publisher whose policy was to request a chapter and synopsis), some others with a concept. Usually it’s an idea of who the main two or three characters are, and why they want to have sex with each other, and the reasons why they might have difficulty getting there.

7. Who is your favourite character and why? (your own character)

I like Rosa in Black Heart: there’s a lot of me in her. Only she’s tougher and cooler than I am, and makes a better impression on people.

8. Was there an event in your life that triggered a particular book, or even a scene in a book? If so what was the book and what was the event?

Quite a few, really. Lots of the BDSM stuff I write is based on things I have either done myself or watched other people do. Though the biggest one was a dream I had; an incredibly vivid dream about a woman being tied to a post and whipped, then fucked up the bum, and it also featured a dream version of a friend of mine. That turned into The Switch, which was my first published novel, in 1997. I won’t link to it as it’s out of print and also has not aged very well. The friend who featured in the dream got written into the book as a fairly thinly disguised version of himself, and he absolutely loved it. He told me once that it had helped him, er, win the affections of a woman he was chatting up when he explained that he had been featured in an erotic novel…

9. Are you working on anything at the moment? If so can you share any tasty morsels?

Yes. I have a few short stories planned out, at least approximately, and a novel I am working on intermittently but hope to finish later this year. Here’s a short extract, hopefully without any typos. I keep telling people it’s ‘the one about rope bondage and Brexit’ though that doesn’t quite sum it up.

 

Tanis, under the shower, water beating down on her face, her shoulders and her breasts, turned her thoughts determinedly back towards Hush. His profile identified him as male, but his avatar was as unrevealing as hers: he’d gone for a photograph of bundled ropes. It wasn’t just rope they discussed when they messaged each other privately, but rope was very frequently the topic of conversation. Tanis thought about rope and her hands made shapes in the air, under the streams of water. She traced lines around each wrist with the fingertips of the opposite hand.  A double column tie on your wrists, and you’d have to follow me wherever I led you… She turned the shower off, stepped out, grabbed a towel from the hook and flung it round herself, picked up the another and gave her hair a quick, vigorous rubbing. Glancing in the mirror as she combed her damp hair into shape, she noticed that her nipples had hardened. The flat wasn’t cold – Tanis had, over the past week or so, been allowing herself to put the heating on in the evenings as winter approached. She’d been accustomed to pay-as-you-go meters in previous flat shares and was still inclined to be cautious about how much energy she used, even though Shaz and Michael contributed to the electricity bill because of the amount they not only used to run some of the machinery but which they could also claim back as a business expense. Tonight, though, with a damp, chilly mist in the air and plummeting November temperatures, she’d given the radiators a good half hour session, so it was comfortably warm; warm enough to sleep naked, but her nipples were definitely erect. She finished drying herself and ran her palms over the taut, tingling buds. She felt a similar tingle from her clit, and grinned to herself. Maybe it was time to do something about that.

She took the time to clean her teeth and dab a bit of moisturizer onto her cheeks and forehead, quite enjoying this bout of procrastination. She thought of rope again; the way it could bite in or slide over the skin like a caress. She thought of Hush and the phrase he sometimes used: ‘the infliction of pleasure.’ It was definitely time for bed.

10. What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out?

Read a lot, write a lot. Most of your first efforts will be crap, and that’s OK, because most of everyone’s first efforts are crap. Keep going. If you want to self-publish, pay for an edit if you can possibly afford it.

11. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Outside of paid work and family/household stuff, I am a Morris dancer, I like going to fetish clubs and rope groups, and I also run a book stall at events like Brighton Twisted Market.

12. What is the hardest part of the whole writing, editing, marketing process for you?

Probably the marketing. I am fairly clueless and terrified of pissing everyone off by spamming them to death. Though the thing that drives me the most insane is trying to get Amazon reviews. People who ask for ARCs and then don’t bother to read them or write reviews, grrr!

13. We all have those friends or family members who make sweeping statements about our writing or the process, which is your particular bug bear?

The people who think authors are all loaded – and the ones who think that women who write erotica are nice cosy housewives who ‘just have a vivid imagination’. Yes, some of them are, but there’s a whole range of attitudes and experiences.

14. What is your idea of happiness?

Financial security ie not worrying about the bills, everyone I care about being healthy and content, and new experiences to look forward to.

15. For this one I want you to showcase your creativity by painting me a picture, with words, of your ideal setting to write in.

I’d like to have a corner table, near the open fire, in a proper country pub with a lovely view out of the window – either a light sprinkling of snow on the fields, or blue skies and blossoming trees. Except I’d probably end up getting distracted by the beer, and the other customers, and not get much done. Where I actually write is in the room I call my office at home, which is a complete tip full of cold cups of tea and discarded newspapers.

16. What makes you laugh/cry?

I have a vulgar and childish sense of humour, so I generally laugh at fart jokes and bad language. Things that make me cry tend to be loss eg bereavement, worry and frustration.

17. You’re stranded on a desert island and you can take three men/women who would they be and why? This can be practical or purely sexual in nature.

I wouldn’t care as long as one of them had a top-of-the-range mobile phone which still worked and could summon rescue.

18. What is your most annoying habit?

Probably my keyboard-warrior tendencies. I love a good ruck on the Internet, even if it’s about relatively unimportant things.

19. Please tell me about your books? For each one please send a pic (kindle cover would be perfect)

I have one novel out, Black Heart, which is a femdom pansexual romance. Otherwise I mostly have short stories included in anthologies: there are probably too many to list but here are a few of them.

Who Thrilled Cock Robin? – erotica inspired by folk songs

Inked – sex and tattoos

Silver Desire – women over 50 having sexy adventures

Goodbye Moderation: Lust – a brilliantly dark and twisted collection, but not for those who prefer erotic romance with happy endings

Sticky Fingers and Warm Leatherette – an anthology that is all my own work; mainly BDSM-themed.

  1. Lightning round
    Tea or Coffee? – Tea, with no milk.
    Cash or credit? – With my awful credit rating, it has to be cash
    Cats or Dogs? – Neither, thanks. I’m allergic to both.
    Beach or Mountain? – I like both equally
    Summer or Winter – Either, as long as the weather is seasonally appropriate.
    Sweet or Savoury – Savoury
    Early riser or late riser? I prefer to get up late but have to get up early for the school run.
    Morning or Night? – I’m a night person.
    Christmas Tree – real or fake? – Fake. Needles are a pain in the arse.
    Sex – Lights on or off? – On, but not too brightly. I want to see what – and who –  I’m doing.

    Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions.
    Please leave Facebook, Twitter, Website links so we can check you out further.

Facebook: Zak Jane Keir (or Sallyanne Rogers)

Twitter @decadentmadamez or @dswsallyanne

Website: www.dirtysexywords.com

Amazon author page https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zak-Jane-Keir/e/B00J8YMLKG/

 

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

West Midlands Attending Author: Pavan Kaur

gibbsdream

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  1. Can we start with your name and where you’re from?
    Hello everyone, my name is Pavan Kaur and I’m from Birmingham UK

  2. Most authors love reading, is this true for you and if so who was/is your inspiration?
    I love reading so much. I always read before I go to bed. You always need some time away from writing. My inspiration, God there are so many amazing authors out there that I love to read, I follow on Facebook and Twitter.

  3. What genre do you write in or do you cross over into many?
    Romance is my main focus in writing. I’m writing my first BDSM stand alone at the moments, which I’m very excited about.
  4. If you could take any character from someone else’s book and make him/her your own creation who would it be and why?
    Colton from the Driven Series fell in love with him.

  5. When did you first start writing?
    Six years ago, Moving On kept playing in my head, so I finally started writing it, then my family really liked it and told me to publish it, and here I am.

  6. Do you plan every inch of your books or do you just let the words flow?
    I let the words flow, I have so many notebooks around my house, and in my bag so when something comes to me, I can write it down.

  7. Who is your favourite character and why? (your own character)
    Rhett Johnson, for a big guys he is super sweet.

  8. Was there an event in your life that triggered a particular book, or even a scene in a book? If so what was the book and what was the event?
    N/A

  9. Are you working on anything at the moment? If so can you share any tasty morsels?
    Mr Dark my BDSM standalone book, and book 3 in my series.

  10. What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out?
    Keeping writing, and enjoy what you are doing if you don’t enjoy it then there is no point.

  11. What do you do when you’re not writing?
    Read or bake with my two boys. I like to spend a lot of time with my boys so baking, board games anything to see you smile.

  12. What is the hardest part of the whole writing, editing, marketing process for you?
    Marketing, I find hard. Never know if I am doing it right or not, but I’m enjoying the learning everyday.

  13. We all have those friends or family members who make sweeping statements about our writing or the process, which is your particular bug bear?
    I have only told my mum, dad, brother, sister and husband no other family no about my writing and the reason is because I don’t want to listen to the making sweeping statements at me, because then it will take the fun out of writing for me. I will double think everything, I love write and I don’t want them to ruin it for me.

  14. What is your idea of happiness?
    Family. As long as I have my family around me I’m always happy.
  15. For this one I want you to showcase your creativity by painting me a picture, with words, of your ideal setting to write in.
  16. What makes you laugh/cry?
  17. You’re stranded on a desert island and you can take three men/women who would they be and why? This can be practical or purely sexual in nature.

    Jennifer Aniston, because I just love her
    David Beckham because I need something sexy to look at
    The impractical Jokers because we all need to laugh  

  18. What is your most annoying habit?
    Im OCD, which can get annoying sometimes lol

  19. Please tell me about your books? For each one please send a pic (kindle cover would be perfect)

Moving On – 

Everyone has a past. For most people their past is their worst nightmare, haunting them day by day. Such a person with a past is Kim Turner. But everything changes when Nicolas Webb comes into her life.

Nick on the other hand, is your typical hot shot. With money comes powers and with powers come happiness, or so he thought until he met Kim.

Haunted by her past and stalked in his present, are they destined to be together? Will Kim be able to let go of her past and trust Nick or will Nick just cause another heartbreak?

Moving Forward – 

“I knew then, that I will never be safe!” 

Moving on, Kim Turner finally let go of her past. She trusts Nicolas Webb with more than her life. Just when she thought she could move on from her haunted past, James Foster comes back into her life; together with the painful memories and disturbing nightmares. But this time, it’s all real. 

The untold story of Kim and Nick continues as more secrets and lies begin to unravel. Following as the sequel to “Moving On” with James Foster out of Prison, will Kim and Nick be able to move forward? Or will this time be the last time they fight for each other?

Moving Together – 

The Final instalment of the Moving Series 

James’ persistence is taking its toll on Kim. With what he’s done goes above and beyond trying to get her back; it’s hurting her in the worst way imaginable. Using her love for Nick against her has Kim deciding if she can continue to fight James, or give in. 

One thing’s for sure… She won’t go back to the hell he made for her.

COURAGE TO TRUST –

I knew I should have stayed away from Rhett Johnson. Captivating, beautiful, talented not to mention a UFC prize fighter, and a man who knows what he wants and he wants ME.

Who am I? Scarlett Parker. A maid in a luxury Vegas hotel. I’m damaged, broken and running away from the darkness around me. I don’t believe in happily ever after.

The attraction between us is like a drug, one we both dangerously need. Wounds break open as my past returns. Is this my happily ever after or is this a disaster waiting to happen?

COURAGE TO FIGHT

He told me that I could trust him.

He told me he loved me.

I put myself in a place where I thought I would be safe again. Never did I think I would hurt more than I did before. But I do.

I let the wall fall around my heart, only for it to get burned.

I cried, but now I’m back and I won’t let the demons get me again.

I won’t make the same mistake twice…

But there he stands in front of me. 

The man who hurt me.

Rhett Johnson

  1. Lightning round
    Tea or Coffee? Teas
    Cash or credit? Cash
    Cats or Dogs? Dogs
    Beach or Mountain? Beach
    Summer or Winter? Summer
    Sweet or Savoury? B
    Early riser or late riser? Early riser
    Morning or Night? Night
    Christmas Tree – real or fake? Real
    Sex – Lights on or off? On

    Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions.
    Please leave Facebook, Twitter, Website links so we can check you out further.

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

West Midlands Attending Author: Nikki Ashton

gibbsdream

 

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1. Can we start with your name and where you’re from?

My name is Nikki Ashton and I’m from Cheshire – Crewe to be exact, it’s not pretty but it’s home.

2. Most authors love reading, is this true for you and if so who was/is your inspiration?

I love reading and probably read three or four books a week.  Everything I read is inspiration – I don’t mean I copy the storylines, but the different styles of writing.  Writing in the first person wasn’t something I ever considered until I read other authors books.  Now I love it as you can get so much more across to the reader.  My biggest inspiration to start writing though was Marian Keyes.  I love how she can make you laugh out loud and then cry with the next sentence.

3. What genre do you write in or do you cross over into many?

I have always written romantic comedy but recently have crossed over into contemporary romance, and absolutely loved the change.

4. If you could take any character from someone else’s book and make him/her your own creation who would it be and why?

Ooh that’s hard.  I suppose it’d have to be Christian Grey, purely and simply because the books became such a phenomena.  They gave EL James a tremendous amount of success and to reach that level with something that I’d actually written would be amazing.

5. When did you first start writing?

I’ve always written stories from the age of 7 and then wrote my first full length book about 15 years ago.  I shelved it though until 4 years ago with the rise of self-publishing.

6. Do you plan every inch of your books or do you just let the words flow?

I do a rough plot line, write the first and last chapter and then just see where the words take me.

7. Who is your favourite character and why? (your own character)

As I write a character they become my favourite, so at the moment it’s Jesse Connor, the rancher in my book that’s coming out in the summer.  Although Roman Hepburn from my February release, Roman’s Having Sex Again, is a very close second.  Both are pretty Alpha Male but have a romantic side too.  As for female characters it has to be Summer from Roman’s Having Sex Again – she sarcastic and strong and has a fine collection of amazing shoes!!

8. Was there an event in your life that triggered a particular book, or even a scene in a book? If so what was the book and what was the event?

The whole of my teenage and early twenties pretty much inspired my first book, Guess Who I Pulled Last Night?  Some scenes were a little exaggerated, but generally the three heroines are me and my friends.

9. Are you working on anything at the moment? If so can you share any tasty morsels?

I’ve just finished a joint venture with Victoria Johns, so we’re currently doing edits for that.  Other than that I’m doing the follow up to my rancher story.  It’s about Jesse’s brother, Garratt and it’s going to be emotional.

10. What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out?

Just do it, what do you have to lose?  Oh and make sure you get a good team behind you in the form of an editor and proof reader. There’s a lot of competition out there and lots of discerning readers.

11. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Read and people watch for inspiration.

12. What is the hardest part of the whole writing, editing, marketing process for you?

The marketing side of things for definite.  I love interacting with my readers but I never know how much it too much marketing, plus I’m not particularly organised.

13. We all have those friends or family members who make sweeping statements about our writing or the process, which is your particular bug bear?

The fact that people don’t take you seriously because you self-publish and don’t see it as a job.  I have a part-time job and people always say ‘yeah but you get two days off every week’ – actually I don’t because I’m doing my other job then.  I might have more flexibility but if I don’t write in the day I’ll probably be up until the early hours writing.

14. What is your idea of happiness?

My family.  Spending time with my husband, or spoiling my nephews and nieces is when I’m most happy.

15. For this one I want you to showcase your creativity by painting me a picture, with words, of your ideal setting to write in.

Music plays quietly in the background, as the glow from the desk lamp shines onto the computer screen.  The aroma of fresh, steaming, black coffee fills the air and there is a constant tap, tap, tap of the keyboard as the words flow easily.  A voice from the sofa breaks into my thoughts as a bare chested, Micah Truitt says, ‘Okay stop writing now love, it’s sexy time.’

16. What makes you laugh/cry?

Observational humour makes me laugh, so I adore Peter Kay and Victoria Wood.  I always laugh out loud at Helena Hunting books – she just has my sense of humour; coarse and smutty.  I am quite an emotional person so lots of things make me cry, both happy and sad.

17. You’re stranded on a desert island and you can take three men/women who would they be and why? This can be practical or purely sexual in nature.

Apart from my husband being an obvious choice, family members would be difficult as I love them all dearly.  So, looking at this purely from a ‘whoa, check you out’, point of view it would be; Micah Truitt, Pep Guardiola and Jamie Dornan.  Without books or TV, I’m sure I’d find something to do!

18. What is your most annoying habit?

Self-doubt and being over sensitive

19. Please tell me about your books? For each one please send a pic (kindle cover would be perfect)

Guess Who I Pulled Last Night? This a story of three friends in their early 30’s and the ups and downs they go through for love. There are parts to the story that we can all relate to at some point in our lives.

 

No Bra Required, is a humorous, romantic love story about Lucy and Ed.  After spending weeks in bed wearing a bobble hat, due to being unceremoniously dumped by her cheating husband, Lucy decides to make a fresh start living with her dad for a while.  That’s when she meets Ed.  But, in true romance tradition, things don’t run smoothly when his bitchy ex-wife, and mother of his son, suddenly appears.

 

Get Your Kit Off is the story of Molly Pearson, who doesn’t have children, but as the Player Liaison Manager for a premiership football club, does have twenty-two professional footballers and one jealous fiancé to take care of. With having to deal with problems from players buying zoo animals as pets, to losing their false teeth and a whole lot more, Molly can’t wait for the season to end. But, her life becomes even more complicated, when the man who broke her heart six years earlier, comes back into her life. Hail the returning hero, Joe Bennett, now one of the best footballers in the world and the club’s most expensive signing. Every woman wants him, every man wants to be him, and he’s returned for one reason only – he wants Molly back.

 

Rock Stars Don’t Like Big Knickers follows Luke and Martha.  Luke ‘Luciano’ Mahoney is the arrogant and sexy lead singer of the mega rock band, Dirty Riches, and he finds it highly amusing that his flirting embarrasses Martha, his new housekeeper/cook.  Despite a shaky start involving a naked Luke and a mortified Martha, they start to grow closer and their friendship starts to develop into something more, but will he ever manage to prove to Martha that he’s the right man for her.

 

Rock Stars Don’t Like Ugly Bras, is the second in the Dirty Riches series and is all about their Lead Guitarist, Jake Hughes and the band’s PA, Amber Mahoney, who also happens to be Luke’s cousin.  Jake irritates Amber more than anyone she’s ever met before. Jake, however, thinks that Amber is sexy but scary. Now they’ve got to share a house for six weeks – what could possibly go wrong?

 

Cheese Tarts and Fluffy Socks: Complex, Enthralling Romance Novel Proves Sex & Work is a Cocktail Best Left Unshaken.  The story zeroes in on a steamy one-night stand that, unknown to either party, is about to kick-off a working relationship that is far more than awkward. A hotel badly in need of investment, a young entrepreneur has been sent in to decide if it’s a good investment, but the daughter of the owner is…well…you get the picture.

 

Rock Stars Do Like Christmas Stockings, is the final book in the Dirty Riches series, and is all about Tom Davies, final member of the band to settle down, or so everyone thinks. What they don’t know is that Tom has been having a relationship with Jake’s sister, Abbie, for the past year.  With one secret affair, one unwelcome Santa suit, five excitable children, four foul-mouthed band members and two days to organise a party for hundreds of people, Christmas is certainly going to be interesting for the Dirty Riches boys and their families this year!

20. Lightning Round:

Tea or Coffee? Tea

Cash or credit? Cash
Cats or Dogs?    Dogs
Beach or Mountain?  Beach
Summer or Winter Summer
Sweet or Savoury Savoury
Early riser or late riser? Late Riser
Morning or Night? Night
Christmas Tree – real or fake? Fake
Sex – Lights on or off? On (unless we’re in the car of course ☺ )

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions.
Please leave Facebook, Twitter, Website links so we can check you out further.

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NikkiAshtonBooks/?fref=ts

Twitter – https://twitter.com/NikkerAsh

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/nikkiashtonauthor/

Amazon.co.uk page – http://viewauthor.at/NAPage

Amazon.com page – http://viewauthor.at/AmazonCom

 

Books, Uncategorized

#Booksarenotfree

gibbsdream

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Earlier in the week I blogged about the expectations of today’s society with regards to getting free books which was inspired by a Facebook post by Rose Montague. See below:

“I’m thinking about doing an event called OUR BOOKS ARE NOT FREE.

No giveaways, no prizes, no incentives other than meeting authors and readers, learning about their books, and supporting authors that want to sell their books. I wonder if anyone would like to participate and I wonder if people would actually attend the event?

If you are interested, please comment below. If I get enough authors/readers I will host the event……”

From there I felt so inspired and fired up that I wrote my thoughts down and added a hashtag which I want to see trending. #Booksarenotfree

Rose’s post inspired so many people that a five day event has been organised with half hourly author slots which are now full. Come and join this event, meet the authors pick up a book or two if your budget can stretch to it. Guaranteed no freebies but you will find more genres under one roof than you will anywhere else (aside from bookshops or online markets such as Amazon)

Event details:
Over 100 authors
Not a single book will be given away
Not a single prize will be awarded
Just some fantastic authors
With great books
At reasonable prices

screenshot-2017-01-14-15-42-44

Sat 11 Feb
2PM Rose Montague (Intro & Pep talk)
2:30 PM Monica Mertz
3:00 PM Veronica Del Rosa
3:30 PM Jen Winters
4:00 PM Theresa Jacobs
4:30 PM Sonnet O’Dell
5:00 PM S H Pratt
5:30 PM Clair de Lune
6:00 PM Aoife Marie Sheridan
6:30 PM Angel M Vosvick-Waggoner
7:00 PM John Hancock
7:30 PM Bailey Ziehmer
8:00 PM Barbara Winkes
8:30 PM M.L. Spencer
9:00 PM AJ Kohler
9:30 PM Claudette Nicole Melanson
10:00 PM Jesse Frankel
10:30 PM Elizabeth Ann Davis
11:00 PM Ani Manjikan
11:30 PM (daily wrap up)

Sun 12 Feb
6:00 AM (Daily Intro-Host)
6:30 AM Gillian Joy
7:00 AM Grace Rose Thomas
7:30 AM Maria Gibbs
8:00 AM Fiona Skye
8:30 AM Stuart Murray
9:00 AM Laurie Vincent
9:30 AM Melissa McArthur Gilbert
10:00 AM Cindy J Smith
10:30 AM Iyana Jenna
11:00 AM Krista Pakseresht
11:30 AM Karen Mossman
Noon Karina Kantas
12:30 PM Audrina Lane
1:00 PM Regina Partap
1:30 PM Cris Pasqueralle
2:00 PM Miranda Brock
2:30 PM Mistral Dawn
3:00 PM JF Holland
3:30 PM Gemma Roman
4:00 PM Flora McGregor
4:30 PM Erika Szabo
5:00 PM Joe Bonadonna
5:30 PM Michael Dellert
6:00 PM Heather Blomquist
6:30 PM Nancy Rollins
7:00 PM Courtney Shockey
7:30 PM Tima Maria Lacoba
8:00 PM Char Webster
8:30 PM Marsha Moore
9:00 PM Kurt Springs
9:30 PM Nicole Davis
10:00 PM Joe Compton
10:30 PM Deidre Mapstone
11:00 PM Carol Kauffman
11:30 PM (daily wrap up)

Mon 13 Feb
6:00 AM (Daily Intro-Host)
6:30 AM JoAnne Van Leedham
7:00 AM Alex James
7:30 AM Brianna West
8:00 AM Bri Amari
8:30 AM Susan Gibbons
9:00 AM Jennifer Thompson
9:30 AM Heather Ann Osborne
10:00 AM Michela Homer
10:30 AM Devorah Fox
11:00 AM Beverly Lee
11:30 AM Jennifer A Thomas
Noon H.C. Bentley
12:30 PM Tom Tinney
1:00 PM Peter Churchill
1:30 PM Dawn Chapman
2:00 PM Cindy Schneider
2:30 PM Lynn Lamb
3:00 PM Monte Dutton
3:30 PM Gary Morgenstern
4:00 PM Lu Whitley
4:30 PM Karen McFarland
5:00 PM Shakyra Dunn
5:30 PM Stephanie Ayers
6:00 PM Trey McIntosh
6:30 PM Sandie Will
7:00 PM Maggie Anderson
7:30 PM Juli D. Revezzo
8:00 PM Kade Cook
8:30 PM Emmy Gatrell
9:00 PM Colen Evans
9:30 PM Sarah Buhrman
10:00 PM Barbara Chioffi
10:30 PM Sarina Langer
11:00 PM Jeanette O’Hagan
11:30 PM (daily wrap up)

Tues 14 Feb
6:00 AM (Daily Intro-Host)
6:30 AM Dianna Wyles
7:00 AM Jennifer Malone Wright
7:30 AM Georgia Mathers
8:00 AM Cori Nicole Smith
8:30 AM Joe Sledge
9:00 AM Joe Ganzer
9:30 AM Maretha Menichini
10:00 AM Dianne Astle
10:30 AM Jane Anthony
11:00 AM C.S. Wooley
11:30 AM Suzi Albracht
Noon Alexis Danielle Allinson
12:30 PM Isadora Montrose
1:00 PM Amy Richie
1:30 PM Pletcha PJ Webb
2:00 PM Kasper Beaumont
2:30 PM Kelly Erickson
3:00 PM Stephen Hunt
3:30 PM Julie Stanley
4:00 PM Tom Fallwell
4:30 PM Cree Storm
5:00 PM Tiger Herbert
5:30 PM JJ King
6:00 PM Jessica Gomez
6:30 PM A M Rycroft
7:00 PM Ashley Uzzell
7:30 PM Marie Krepps
8:00 PM D.j. Ruggiero
8:30 PM Heather Ellen Yamauchi
9:00 PM Beth Honeycutt
9:30 PM Shelli Humphrey
10:00 PM Christopher Paniccia
10:30 PM Debbie Manber Kupfer
11:00 PM Jessica Fisette
11:30 PM (daily wrap up)

Wed 15 Feb
6:00 AM (Daily Intro-Host)
6:30 AM Sarina Langer
7:00 AM Sarah J Hilder
7:30 AM Miriam Averna
8:00 AM Jane Ederlyn
8:30 AM Owen Mullen
9:00 AM Annie Buff
9:30 AM Claire Marta
10:00 AM Lucinda Clarke
10:30 AM Lindsay Johnston
11:00 AM Devon West
11:30 AM Zorha Edwards
Noon Romarin Demetri
12:30 PM Jennifer Brown
1:00 PM Jason Crawford
1:30 PM Candace Osmond
2:00 PM Lily Amis
2:30 PM Jeanne Felfe
3:00 PM XXXXXXXXXXX
3:30 PM S A Gibson
4:00 PM Eva Gordon
4:30 PM Parker Sinclair
5:00 PM Kristy Nicole
5:30 PM Scott Carruba
6:00 PM Mirren Hogan
6:30 PM R.L, Weeks
7:00 PM CJ Rutherford
7:30 PM A.T. Brennan
8:00 PM Debbie Dickerson
8:30 PM Niki Livingston Walker
9:00 PM Dawn Ibanez
9:30 PM Barbara Custer
10:00 PM Tia Siren/Amy Brent
10:30 PM Markie Jordan-Madden
11:00 PM (Event wrap up)

Look out for this event because it should be phenomenal. Let’s claim back a fair price for a job well done.

 

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

#Booksarenotfree

gibbsdream

 

There is a growing trend in society to believe that books should be free or heavily discounted and we have all been guilty of feeding into it. I pick up freebies but I am also happy to pay for the books I want. Maybe I can’t get all the ones I want but hey isn’t that just life? I see lots of clothes I like and I might be able to pick up a new dress for a special occasion or a new pair of jeans because my old ones have holes in where no self-respecting forty-something wants holes but I can’t buy every item that my heart desires. Certainly not on my non-existent income as an author. Just as well I have a full-time job that stops me from being a starving artist languishing in a garret with only bread and water to sustain me. My day-time job takes up a huge portion of my week and often leaves me drained but from somewhere I have to find the time for my passion which is writing. My dream would be my writing to take off and be able to write full-time but alas that can’t be at the moment.

Everyone of us has had people who ask for a free copy, I’d like to quote my friend and fellow author Chris Turnbull “erm No! There is no such thing as a free copy…even I don’t get a free copy and it’s my book.” 

We do have a free copy on our computers, sure and we can send it to our Kindle device but if we want a print copy of our book, we have to pay – the proof copy isn’t even free. But let me tell you a bit more about what we’ve paid for: A beautiful cover, a feast to the eye, to tempt you, an editor to shape our words and spot mistakes and inconsistencies. And let’s be clear on this my editor and cover designer, both wonderful women who are also authors won’t accept it if I ask them to provide their services for free–which I wouldn’t do. Some people pay for marketing and do promotional giveaways.

I have three novelettes on the market at the moment and a pending novel (having the red pen treatment). A novelette is small, doesn’t require the same time frame to write it but I still used my time and I still paid for the above items. Yesterday was the two-year anniversary of my first novelette ‘As Dreams are Made on.’ Based only on the cover and editing alone I have lost £36.00 on it. So to recap, two years on and with 104 kindle sales and 16 paperback copies I am still in the red. I haven’t set my price high 0.99p/c because it is a short read. An hour or so of entertainment for under £1.00/$1.00 but still people want it for free. You could argue that if they like it they might buy one of my other books and yes that is true but lets also go back to the earlier paragraph where I acknowledged that I can’t buy all the books or clothes I like. So maybe it would generate sales–but maybe not.

Books aren’t just entertainment they are often an escape from reality –a reality that many people find challenging so given the duality of the product why do we question its value?

I’ve got an experiment for you to try (I won’t do it myself as I previously mentioned my busy schedule 🙂 )

Walk in to or phone your hairdresser and ask them if they will give you a free haircut.

Ring your garage next time your car needs a service or MOT and ask them to do it for free

Who loves having their nails done? Manicure? Pedicure? Facial? Let’s see about this freebie

The list is endless.
I would love to hear back from anyone who gets a freebie. Good luck and happy hunting.

But for this author who works endlessly and pays for the services I receive the only freebies I will consider are those that I choose to give for a promotional event which will require your participation.

For anyone who believes that authors should be paid for their work please leave a comment in support and it you are so inclined please share it with the hashtag #Booksarenotfree let’s get it trending.

If you are interested in my books follow the links:

US: https://www.amazon.com/Maria-Gibbs/e/B00SDDJV1U/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maria-Gibbs/e/B00SDDJV1U/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

If you want to know more about my books have a look at the other pages on this website. You can even see the reviews that I have left for the books I’ve read recently.