Tag: Reading

Books · Life · Self-publishing · Uncategorized

Author Spotlight Interview

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This month it is my pleasure to introduce Sherri A Wingler who now ranks up there with Sharon Penman and Barbara Erskine (and a few others) as one of my favourite authors. She is currently juggling two different series and I am eagerly awaiting the next in series for both. This is the author who writes the books that I wish I had written.

1. Do you write as a full-time author or do you have to squeeze it in around a full-time job or looking after the children? If you don’t write as your main job what are your aims for your writing?

I look at my writing as my other full-time job. I squeeze time whenever I can to write, but I’m constantly thinking about my story. The brain is a wonderful thing. I can hit a snag, with no idea how to get myself out of the corner I’ve written myself into, and three days later the answer will come to me, seemingly out of nowhere. Usually, it comes at the most inopportune moment.

2. What inspires you to write?

Reading a really good story from someone else is always inspiring. Mostly, I write the books I want to read.

3. Tell me about your writing process, when and how? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I want to be a plotter, but I’m more of a hybrid. I start out with a loose outline and adjust it when the story starts twisting itself into knots.
I’ve found my best hours to work are between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m., but I have a full-time job, so those hours only work when I’m on vacation. Usually, I grab whatever time I can. I write on my phone a lot and transfer the file to the main manuscript later.
I would love to say if I get an entire day to write, I sit down and whip out ten thousand words, but I’m guilty of procrastination. So guilty. I’m fine once I start, but I’ll find fifty things to do before I start.

4. How much of your life experience goes into your books if at all?

My first book is about a teenaged girl who falls in love with the Angel of Death. It took a reviewer pointing out that ‘if Death came along and intervened in her life, they’d have a serious talk.’ I’m paraphrasing, but it got me thinking. If Death intervenes, you have no choice… you adapt to a new normal. That’s when the lightbulb moment happened for me. My mother died when I was seventeen. Some twenty years later, my brain put a different spin on the story and “Wings of Darkness” was born.
I think all the characters have a certain facet of the author’s personality, even the villain.

5. Describe your ideal writing location if money were no issue.

I can write anywhere, but I require peace and quiet to produce my best work. I have a small, beautiful office I never get to use because my dogs throw a fit if I’m out of sight. Most of my work is done with at least one cat hanging off me and a dog staring at me till I pick him or her up for cuddles. They have me so trained.

6. What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?

Getting started. Have I mentioned the procrastination thing? I waste more time thinking about why I should be writing, than actually doing it.

7. What one thing would you fix about the whole world to make it a better place?

I feel like the world would be better if people cared more for each other, or cared less, maybe. For my own part, I don’t care about someone else’s religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. If they’re happy and aren’t hurting someone else, it’s none of my business. I don’t get excited about much unless it affects me or mine.
Animal cruelty breaks my heart. If I had one wish it would be for the punishment to fit the crime in those cases.

8. What is your favourite review from any of your books?

It was for “Wings of Darkness,” and it wasn’t even a 5* review, only a 3*. The lady didn’t like the snarkiness of the characters, but at the end of the review she said it was “very well written and well edited book.” I had to love it just for that.

9. When you’re not writing, working, looking after the furry kids what else do you enjoy doing?

I like to think I’m crafty. Every so often I get on Pinterest and find some fantastic project and produce the ugly step-sister version of whatever it was. Halloween is coming up, and it’s my favorite holiday. I’ll be whipping out the hot glue and fake cobwebs pretty soon.

10. Can you tell me what you’re working on now?

I’m working on a couple of things. I’ve got the third book of “The Immortal Sorrows” series almost finished, and I have the second book of “The Dark Woods” series at the halfway point.
“The Immortal Sorrows” is a tale of Reaper angels with a shot of Greek mythology thrown in. It explores Time, Fate, and Death as beings instead of concepts.
“The Dark Woods” is my loose interpretation of the Red Riding Hood story. I’ve taken a lot of liberties with it, and had so much fun doing it.

 

A Glimpse into Darkness: Prequel of The Immortal Sorrows

http://amzn.to/2wG2byp

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Clotho has everything; beauty, power, and immortality. She has everything she could ever want, except the love of the one she wants the most.
Witness the moment when obsession turns to hate… and love to madness.
Author’s Note: This is a short story and serves as the prequel of “The Immortal Sorrows” series. Attached is a free sample of book 1, “Wings of Darkness.” I hope you enjoy it!

Wings of Darkness: Book 1 of The Immortal Sorrows series

http://amzn.to/2vziTz6

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Death comes for everyone eventually, but Izzy Maitland plans to live forever. At nearly eighteen years old, it’s not an unreasonable goal, but Fate has other plans. Izzy has a car accident. A bad one. Suddenly, strange things start happening and her ordinary life is turned upside down. She wakes up tasting blood, more often than not, and her injuries heal at an alarming rate. Her friends and family weaken, and every day, Izzy grows stronger. Strangest of all, she seems to have acquired a stalker, and he might be the Angel of Death.

Wings of Shadow: Book 2 of The Immortal Sorrows series

http://amzn.to/2wURuaC

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Mortals never see me in their final moments. Isabel saw me. From the very beginning. She saw me, knew me for the monster I am, and still she loved me. That beautiful young woman with fire in her blood. I wanted her the moment I laid eyes on her. She was perfect, made just for me by a cruel and merciless twist of Fate. Isabel was my mate and my match, in every way, but loving me destroyed her.
Fate stole my love from me, simply to watch me suffer. Oh, it cost her, but not nearly enough. A few dead Reapers were nothing compared to what I would do when I found her. The River of the Dead could run red with the blood of the guilty, and it would never be enough. My revenge would be a bitter-sweet thing, for it would never bring my Isabel back to me. Once she faced Judgment, she would be lost to me, forever.
I could not accept that. I would not.

Crimson Moon: Book 1 of The Dark Woods series

http://amzn.to/2wFW2SF

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In the old days, people whispered about the wolf, said he came only at night, and only by the light of the full moon. They locked their doors and huddled close to their fires, safe in the knowledge they could prepare for his coming. The truth is, no one is safe, because the wolf walks in the skin of the man. Always.

Harlow Hayes is a runaway, thief, and failed Southern belle. Forced to grow up fast after what her mama delicately referred to as, ‘the incident,’ she learns the hard way not all strangers are kind, real monsters hide in plain sight, and family can be found in the most unexpected places.
Harlow Hayes is about to meet the Wolf.

 

Thank you very much, Sherri, for sharing so much with us. If you aren’t lucky enough to win an e-copy of one of Sherri’s books then I would highly recommend you go and buy them, she is a phenomenal author

If you have subscribed to my newsletter then you will be entered into the August prize draw, don’t forget sometimes the emails make their way to the junk folder! (How vary dare they!) The winner will be announced one week later.

 

Books · Life · Self-publishing

Round up of the Week

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Round up of the Week

 

World

 

Eight people have found dead inside a trailer truck parked outside Walmart in San Antonio, USA. Twenty others were in a critical or serious condition, with some believed to be suffering from heatstroke or dehydration. The driver is in police custody. It is thought this could be a people-smuggling operation. The police were called by a Walmart employee who had been approached by someone from the truck asking for water.

 

This makes my stomach churn to think about what these people have suffered.

 

London

 

Staff at Great Ormand Street Hospital have received death threats over the treatment of baby Charlie Gard. Police had been called after families were harassed and unacceptable behaviour was recorded in the hospital. Great Ormand Street Hospital is involved in a legal battle to remove life support from the 11-month-old, who has a rare genetic disorder. Charlie’s parents don’t condone this abuse of the hospital staff. Charlie was born with a form of mitochondrial disease, a condition that causes progressive muscle weakness and irreversible brain damage, and his parents want to take him to the US for pioneering treatment. They have lost a succession of court cases and is back before the High Court on Monday.

 

I know Great Ormand Street Hospital well and it saddens me to think of their staff and patients being subjected to abuse. Whatever the wrongs and rights of this case, and it’s not for me to judge, this hospital has saved the lives of many thousands of children and has always in my experience treated their patients and parents with respect.

 

My World

 

This week is another run of the mill one for me, work, eat, write, sleep and repeat. I lost a work colleague this week as she moved on to other things but I gained a real friend. Other than visiting a friend for a glass of wine or two, a meal out with a friend/fellow author, visiting my parents and a ride out on my bike there isn’t much more to tell. I don’t lead a highly exciting life folks.

 

My Word

 

My editor returned ‘Is this Love?’ after doing the first round edits and I have the task now of working my way through it. My first newsletter was sent out yesterday and I gained a few more sign ups in the process. They were sent the first chapter of “Is this Love?’ were allowed a sneak preview of the cover and entered into a prize draw to win an e copy of a book by the author of the month which was my good friend Su, aka Rose English.

Books · Self-publishing · Uncategorized

Author of the Month – Rose English

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 I will be featuring one author of the month who will spotlight with a brief interview and showcase their books. For anyone who has signed up to my email mailing list you will be entered into a prize draw, a week after I send my newsletter, to win an e-copy of one of the spotlight author’s books.

This month we will be starting with a lady who I have come to know well and have the pleasure of calling friend. I know her by the name of Su but she writes under the name of Rose English.

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1. Do you write as a full-time author or do you have to squeeze it in around a full-time job or looking after the children? If you don’t write as your main job what are your aims for your writing?

I work four days a week in a hospital taking care of the medical equipment. To be honest I am not sure I would actually want to be a full-time author, I am more a Read-a-holic and I write as a hobby. I lose myself in reading for pleasure and often for research. Perhaps I will feel different when I actually retire (still a way to go though).

2. What inspires you to write?

I often get inspiration from things that I read, for example a few years back I picked up a book in my local library about the longcase clock. It inspired more research about how this type of clock became the grandfather clock and finally I turned it into ‘The Magic of Grandfather Time.’

3. Tell me about your writing process, when and how? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

The best time I have written is during National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo I seem to be able to organise myself a bit better having a set target to work to, 50,000 words. However I am very easily distracted by research, via books or online so I would say I am a bit of both plotter & pantser. I have lots of notebooks all over the place and scraps of paper, sometimes I will come home from work with my pockets full.

4. How much of your life experience goes into your books if at all?

Sometimes my life experience goes into my stories, generally they are GREATLY exaggerated. Or they may be from true life tragedies not my own. I like to mix a little reality with my fiction. I am working on a collection of ‘Shoe Shorts’ and my title story ‘One Night in Fabulous Shoes’ is loosely based on a tragedy that happened in Frecklton where my brother lives. During the war the Americans were based close by, whilst out on a test flight the weather turned and one of the planes crash landed into the infant school killing many children and teachers.

5. Describe your ideal writing location if money were no issue.

I dream of a log cabin either overlooking a stream or away from anywhere in the snowy mountains. (Dreaming of winter with hot chocolate & masses of floating cream)

6.What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?

I have a real problem with my points of view (POVs) I very easily get mixed up with writing in first person or third and so on.

7. What one thing would you fix about the whole world to make it a better place?

There are so many things wrong in this world I really would not know where to begin, but my pet hate is exhaust fumes and pollution hence why I’ve made my home out in the countryside. So although I feel I should say something like work hard to defeat terrorism and stop child abuse etc. I would like to breathe clean air.

8.What is your favourite review from any of your books?

It was only a 4* review but I thought it summed up the short story perfectly. This sticks in my memory most. Plus it is one of the first reviews I ever received.

4**** ‘One Breath’

Beauty in its brevity….

A tale that pulls on the heart strings, stimulates the senses and paints a vivid picture for the reader. Skilfully written to leave a lasting impression.

9. When you’re not writing, working, looking after the kids what else do you enjoy doing?

I am a Read-a-holic any spare moment I get I read, walking from the carpark to my place of work anywhere. Oh I do enjoy walking in the woods listening to the wind in the trees and I have been known to hug a tree on the odd occasion (have you seen the beautiful texture on the trunk of a redwood?)

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10. Can you tell me what you’re working on now?

I have a couple of projects on the go one I mentioned earlier an anthology of ‘Shoe Shorts’. I once photographed my shoes when I was trying to have a clear out, I have images of 50 pairs of shoes and just thought hey why not write a story based around each pair of shoes?

Also I have a story that I finished ages ago ‘The Seal Mother’ I want to add images but keep changing my mind or something comes up it is about a Selkie seal maiden a folktale. I started to extend the story by writing a tale of a Selkie man. I thought why not two short stories together to make one decent sized book. However, my Selkie man is not lending itself to being short, so currently it is on hold. Watch this space.

The most complete novel is another in ‘The Magic of Grandfather Time’ series called ‘Last Orders Jack’ but it needs a lot of work still before it could go to the editors.

Rose’s books:

‘The Magic of Grandfather Time’

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Buy me: http://amzn.to/2biVzim

‘A grandfather clock has a face and a voice. As its name suggests, it is more than a piece of furniture; it is a member of the family’

Richard C.R. Barder 1983

DECEMBER 1880. There will be no jolly Christmas cheer this year. The harsh winter had descended; snow blankets the ground and the lake is frozen solid. Within the walls of Clement Cottage, the fire is dwindling, its embers barely bright enough to cast the shadow of the broken man upon the wall. Cole is lost in his deep sadness; he has just one heartfelt wish. To be re-united with his beloved, the soulmate so cruelly stolen from him – Cornelia.

A sad mournful ticking comes from a blackened corner of the parlour where a longcase clock is hidden. Tall and stately, noble of face, loud of voice and keeper of great secrets, he is Grandfather Time. Bestowed with the gift of magic from Old Father Time himself, as he begins to chime out the magical hour of midnight, can he grant Cole his wish?

~*~

‘Rainbows & Roses – Poetry & Prose’

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Buy me: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rainbows-Roses-Poetry-Colour-Illustrations-ebook/dp/B01IQAAL5O/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1482657213&sr=1-3&keywords=rainbows+and+roses

‘Today I am the soft summer rain,

You are my sweet golden sunshine.

Together we’ll build us a rainbow

To last, a life time.’

‘Rainbows and Roses’ is a delightful selection of whimsical short stories, along with a collection of poetry inspired by memories from childhood, the environment, together with a little bit of fun.

Featuring:

‘One Breath’: a heartfelt story of love and loss.

‘The Symbolism of the Rose’: with some basic history, myths & legends surrounding the ‘Queen of Flowers’.

‘Grandfather Time’: An ancient longcase clock with a spark of magic.

 

~*~

 

‘Lost Love in Spring’

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Buy me: http://amzn.to/2ilzq56

 

‘…And many a weary heart shall sing The Snowdrop bringeth Hope and Spring.’

(From the book Poetry of the Flowers by Mrs CM Kirtland 1800)

Hope is all Emmeline has. After a raging storm Alfie is felled by some unseen force Emmeline drags her unconscious husband back to their cottage. Throughout the winter she ministers to his needs, following her Grandmother Aspasia’s recipes collected over the years in her delicately penned book of ‘Home Remedies’. Alfie appears to be on the mend when the gentle, shivering snowdrops begin to raise their dainty heads above the snow, bringing hope. But sadly Alfie takes a turn for the worse and Emmeline loses her soulmate.  

With the arrival of ‘The Anniversary’ comes a surprise visitor. Will this visitor rekindle the light in Emmeline’s delicate brown eyes? Can the hole in her heart ever be healed?

This heartfelt short story now includes a sample of some of ‘Aspasia Cherry’s A~Z of Herbal Remedies’ along with poetry, a few myths and a little magic about the local flora that would have been found in and around Emmeline’s cottage.

~*~

 

Thank you very much Rose for taking part in my spotlight of the month. I can highly recommend all her books, if you want to check out my reviews you can see them on the Gibbsdream Reviews page. Don’t forget if you are signed up for my newsletters you will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky winner will receive an e-copy of one of Rose’s books. If you aren’t one of the lucky ones I would highly recommend picking up a copy for yourself.

Maria x

 

 

Books · Life · Self-publishing · Uncategorized

Round up of the week

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Round up of the Week

World

Builders in the Canadian city of Quebec have unearthed a live cannonball fired by the British in 1759 when they besieged Quebec while fighting the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. The builders posed for photos with the 90kg shot unaware that it was still potentially explosive. Archaeologist Serge Rouleau, who examined the munition before the army noticed that it still contained a charge and said it was more of an incendiary bomb than a cannonball. A Senior munitions technician was quoted as saying, “The ball would break and the powder would ignite, setting fire to the building.

Seems as though the builders had a lucky escape.

London

A 31-year-old man has been stabbed to death by two attackers on a moped during an early-morning altercation in south-east London, police said.

The victim was fatally wounded during a clash in which shots were also fired in King William Walk in the centre of Greenwich

The assailants, both male, then fled the scene on the moped and emergency services arrived to find the man with stab injuries. Paramedics tried to revive the man but he was declared dead at the scene.

We seem to be seeing more crime from people on scooters/mopeds/bikes including an epidemic of bike theft with the perpetrators going out with machetes and other weapons. Every morning the first thing I do is check that my bike is where I parked it.

My world

This week my cousin’s 23-year-old daughter came from Wolverhampton to stay with me in London for a few days. Despite the big age gap, we get on incredibly well but then maybe that’s because I don’t act my age. Unfortunately, I had to work but Kat was able to go off and explore the city without me and we caught up in the evenings for pizza and prosecco.

Last week I mentioned that there was something potentially on the horizon for me which I couldn’t discuss this is still on the down low.

I’m ending the week with a family meal as we all catch up for my mum’s birthday.

My Word

I’ve been anxiously waiting while the editor slashes my book with her red pen but I should be out of my misery by the middle of next week as she returns the first edit. Or will I be in more misery lol.

I’ve been working on the spin off from ‘A Boy from the Streets’

I’ve also been thinking a bit more are a follow on from ‘As Dreams are Made on’ and after seeing a picture I wanted have had JC Clarke from The Graphics Shed design me a cover that has left me speechless. (I know right! Me speechless LOL)

Books · Life · Self-publishing · Uncategorized

My review: The Oak S. L. Dearing

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Oak

 

Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/2sapiOb

This is the first book by S L Dearing that I have reading what attracted me to it was the cover which is very striking and unusual.
This is a story about a woman, Keitha, who lives in a forest in France. Keith uses her skills of healing to help the local villagers and harness the power of nature. The characters are likeable except the “baddies”. There is an element of cliche in the stereotyping of good guy, bad guy but I don’t think it detracts from the story at all. It is after all “A Grown Up Fairy Tale.”

The story flows beautifully and the writing is often quite poetic. There are surprises in store in this book and I would recommend reading it.

I will certainly read more by this author.

 

Books · Life · Self-publishing · Uncategorized

Jealousy & Envy

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I had decided on this blog thinking I was writing about jealousy only with envy being a synonym but after doing some research I discovered something I hadn’t known which is that jealousy and envy are considered to  be different.

Dictionary definitions:

Jealousy: feeling or showing an envious resentment of someone or their achievements, possessions, or perceived advantages.

Envy: a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck.

The dictionary would suggest that both these emotions are the same but some psychologists differentiate between the two emotions:

Jealousy is relationship based and involves a third person. It’s an emotion that makes a person fear for their relationship with another – partner, parent, friend etc… The person sees a threat to their relationship which could be real or perceived.

Example: Your husband has a female friend and you see that friendship in a different light. It could be a simply platonic relationship but it could also be an affair which threatens the fabric of your marriage. Jealously has its roots firmly in both the logical and illogical camps.

Jealousy can be healthy, in that it produces that fear which makes you work at protecting your relationship but equally it can be a destructive force eating away at you from the inside and ruining your relationship.
Finding the right balance is the key.

Envy however is an emotion that is caused between two people only.

Example: You are envious of what your friend has, possessions or life.

Again this emotion can be put to good or bad use. If you use this to better yourself and achieve the goals you have then this has been for the force of good, however if you allow this envy to fester you can become dissatisfied with your lot in life and your friendship will suffer as you become resentful.
Finding the right balance is again key.

I try to avoid the extremes of both of these emotions as they can be so destructive, you should allow them to drive you not to overwhelm you.

I chose this as a subject matter as some of the characters in my books show these emotions which makes for great reading.  I have three examples from two of my books – please read on:

A Lifetime or a Season

Amazon link: http://mybook.to/A-lifetime

Diana

Diana is envious of her young daughter Athena, who is pretty and has her whole life ahead of her. Diana is a beautiful, superficial, selfish woman who has men flocking around her and has no shortage of admirers but she knows that the passage of time is upon her so she callously puts down and undermines her daughter so that Athena sees herself as plain. Diana tries to stamp out Athena’s spark of independence wanting her daughter to fawn over her rather than live her own life.

Check out Athena’s short story to see whether Diana was successful or not.

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A Boy from the Streets has two examples of jealousy.

Amazon Link: myBook.to/BoyfromStreets

Teo

Teo is a lovely, loyal man who is eaten up with jealousy. He is devoted to his friend Leandro but Leandro has a closer bond with Daniel. Even years of separation doesn’t dim this friendship but as the year go by Teo’s jealousy develops to the point where he places himself and others in danger. Will his jealousy lead him to commit the ultimate betrayal?

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Pedro

Pedro is a young boy who is abandoned to the streets of Brasil at the age of one year. His life is harrowing and filled with the horrors that life on the streets brings including being used by the corrupt police force who should be there to protect him.

At the age of twelve he discovers that he has a twin, Jose was adopted into a life of luxury.

Pedro experiences both jealousy and envy during the coming months but despite his life and the trials and tribulations he stays grounded. His own caring nature allows him to rise above these emotions – but when he is pushed to the ultimate level will he be able to keep his head or will it overwhelm him?

 

STOPTHINKIT MAY NOT BEAS YOU THINK-7

If you want to discover how any of my characters cope with these emotions and what the future holds for them you can find out by clicking the links and reading their stories.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

 

Books · Life · Self-publishing

Price Increase

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I have decided to increase the kindle price for all my novelettes this weekend from £0.99/$0.99 to £1.99/£$1.99

If you’ve been meaning to pick up a copy and haven’t done so yet then you have the chance to do so before the increase.
The reason I have decided to do this is two-fold.
One is financial, I get very few sales on these and when I do I net a whopping £0.29 per sale and at this rate what I’ve paid for covers and editing has not been recouped, a situation that I know is shared by many fellow authors.
My first novelette As Dreams are Made on has sold 112 kindle copies and 28 print copies in the two years and four months since its release and I still have £29.86 to go to break even. At the rate of £0.29 per sale it will take at least another 100 sales for this to happen. By increasing the price to £1.99/$1.99 I get £0.58 per sale.
The other books:
A Lifetime or a Season, with 36 kindle and 15 print sales in 2 years and 2 months is in the red to the tune of £57.25
The Storm Creature, with 75 kindle and 24 print sales in just over a year needs £26.09 to break even.
The other reason is that while I thought £0.99/$0.99 was a figure that people would be happy to pay for an hour of entertainment/pleasure it would seem that I was wrong. So now I am going to experiment with the idea that people are happier to pay a higher price as they believe that cheap price equals low quality.
I will do a follow up on this in a few months to see whether I was able to attract more readers with the increased price point.
 
UK Amazon account: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maria-Gibbs/e/B00SDDJV1U/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
 

My new novel will stay the same price which is £2.99 so far since its release a month ago I have sold 47 kindle and 16 print copies. The edit costs for this were significantly higher due to it being a much bigger book but I have approximately £120.00 to go before I break even on this one.

I am bursting at the seams with ideas for books to write and the only thing that stops me is sufficient time and money to pay the initial outlay. This has been my lifelong dream to become an author and I am determined to try anything that I can in order to achieve this at a level where I can support myself from my writing.

Will update anyone who is interested in my progress in a few months.

Books · Life · Self-publishing · Uncategorized

Fear

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Fear-3

 

Fear is something each and every one of us has experienced at some point in our lives whether it be a rational fear which is an appropriate response to a real situation or a perceived threat or an irrational fear or phobia.

What triggers fear?

Rational fear can be a natural response to a situation which threatens danger or a response to a horrible experience. The basis of an irrational fear is a lot harder to pinpoint but it could be a learnt behaviour seen by a parent or someone else, it can be a response to a bad dream which has carried over into real life.

What symptoms are produced through fear?

Increased breathing rate or hyperventilation

Muscle tension

Goosebumps

Sweating or dry palms

Nausea or knot in the base of your stomach

What do  I fear?

I fear losing those people who are closest to me, my loved ones. I fear for the future of some people I love who fate hasn’t dealt a fair hand to. These fears are all manageable and only affect me when I dwell too much on them.


I regularly feel fear when I ride my motorbike especially in my area where the road users have no idea of road craft and many assume a motorcyclist should ride next to the pavement as a cyclist does. Not a brainy bunch around here! Many road users deem themselves to have more skills than they actually possess or more frighteningly consider my life inconsequential, either way they put me in danger and a number of times it has only been my own forward planning and quick reactions that have saved my life. The fear that comes from that situation is immense. There are particular roads that now cause a reaction of extreme caution in me now because of regular occurrences so fear is adapting the way I tackle certain areas on the road.

Phobia’s, oh yes I have them too. Spiders, cockroaches, rodents and heights – or at least heights where I don’t feel secure. For example I love flying, even loved being in a helicopter looking down but if I’m anywhere where I feel I could fall then the major fear kicks in. Where did they come from? I honestly don’t know!

What made me choose fear as the topic for this blog?

I am about to start writing a new book based on a boy called Carlos who featured in my last book, “A Boy from the Streets”. Carlos wasn’t a main character but he seems to have got into my head and is demanding I write his story now. I’m not going to say too much as I don’t want to give anything away.
Carlos is a young boy who ended up living on the streets after his parents died and his maternal uncle decided he didn’t want another mouth to feed. While Carlos is on the streets something happens to him and Carlos is now stalked by fear. This is a real fear of something happening which has its roots firmly in the incident from his past. Can he get past his fear to enable him to live a full life?

Fear-2

Excerpt taken from: A Boy from the Streets.

myBook.to/BoyfromStreets

Fear can be debilitating and not easy to overcome, so remember to be kind to your fellow humans, you don’t know what they’re dealing with or what scars they carry.

Books · Life · Self-publishing · Uncategorized

My review of: Crimson Moon: Book One of The Dark Woods by Sherri A Wingler

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crimson

 

http://amzn.to/2mpudLM

OMG! OMG! OMG! I am speechless and for anyone who knows me that is a rarity. This book sucked me from the first lines and held me all the way through. The pacing is perfect all the way through the book, it is steady and builds the relationship between reader and the main characters. The last 20% of the book picks up the pace while your heart pounds inside your chest and you are unable to put the book down until the conclusion. And wow what an ending. There were twists and turns which I didn’t anticipate, just as I thought I was getting where it was going it swung a loop and blew my mind away.
Ok so maybe I’m not so speechless after all. This book deserves all the accolades that can be thrown at it.

The characters are strong and believable (in an unworldly way), they’re consistent and likeable. I love the dialogue between them and more than that I can’t say without giving anything away.

This author is now one of my favourite authors. Everything I read by her is of this quality and getting stronger.

Can I respectfully ask that the author gives up her social life in order to get the next two books out quickly. I need to read them. Finishing this book has left a gaping hole.
If I could give this more than 5 stars I would.

If you have any sense whatsoever you will pick this book up and devour it.
Oh and last but not least – wow on the cover.

 

Books · Self-publishing · Uncategorized
gibbsdreamLeave a comment
Title: Crimson Moon
Series: The Dark Woods
Author: Sherri A. Wingler
Genre: Paranormal
In the old days,
people whispered about the wolf, said he came only at night, and only by the
light of the full moon. They locked their doors and huddled close to their
fires, safe in the knowledge they could prepare for his coming. The truth is, no
one is safe, because the wolf walks in the skin of the man. Always.
Harlow Hayes is a runaway, thief, and failed Southern belle. Forced to grow up
fast after what her mama delicately referred to as, ‘the incident,’ she learns
the hard way not all strangers are kind, real monsters hide in plain sight, and
family can be found in the most unexpected places. Harlow Hayes is about to meet the Wolf.

Amazon

 

Sherri Wingler is the author of The Immortal Sorrows and The Dark Woods series. She lives and works (way more than full-time) in Indiana.
Sherri shares her home with her husband, Steve, too many rescued kitty cats, and one co-dependent Shih Tzu named Spanky. When she isn’t writing, or working in the real world, her spare time is spent raising money and awareness for animal charities, in the hopes of saving at least a few little critters.
Sherri is currently hard at work on her next book.
For more information visit www.sherriwingler.com

 

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