@GeorgiaLeCarre Shares 10 Things She Didn’t Know About The #Publishing Industry #WriteTip

1. That I should have started marketing the book many months before the book was released.  Wow! This one hurt.
2. That high quality book jackets can be bought for as little as $30.00!
3. That people selling reviews will contact you as soon as your book goes live!
4. That your competitors will buy negative reviews for your precious little book.
5. That it is so competitive on Amazon that one is only as good as last few hours of sales before the Algorithms program unceremoniously sweeps one out of the top 100 of whatever list you are precariously hanging inside.
6. That some of the people in the publishing industry are angels in disguise.  They will come forward with offers of help that make your jaw hit the floor.
7. What is good is no longer decided by the publishers, but by the public.  What was considered by the pillars of the publishing world as unworthy or tasteless can be crowned king by the buying public hours after being published on Amazon.
8. That Book Bloggers have amassed so much clout being featured on one of the big blogs can catapult your book into heart-stoppingly elevated position on Amazon’s bestseller charts.
9. That the self-publishing is actually a large lottery of hope.  A small number of lucky authors hit the big time very quickly, and make it look so easy it pushes everybody into thinking, ‘I can do that.’  The failure rate is astounding!
10. That luck plays a much bigger role than I had given it credit for. Having the right book at the right time is the real key to great success.

 

Beyond the seductive power of immense wealth lies... Dark Secrets

Devastatingly handsome billionaire, Blake Law Barrington was Lana Blooms first and only love. From the moment they touched his power was overwhelming. Their arrangement quickly developed into a passionate romance that captivated her heart and took her on an incredible sexual journey she never wanted to end.

The future together looked bright until Lana made a terrible mistake. So, she did the only thing she could... she ran.

Away from her incredible life, away from the man of her dreams, but she should have known a man such as Blake Law Barrington was impossible to escape. Now, he's back in her life and determined that she should taste the bitterness of his pain.

Shocked at how rough the sex has become and humiliated that she is actually participating so willingly in her punishment, she despairs if she will ever feel the warmth of his touch--the solidity of his trust again? And even if she can win his trust, loyalties are yet to be decided, and secrets to be revealed--secrets that will test them both to their limits.

Will Lana be able to tear down the walls that surround Blake's heart, and break him free of the brutal power of immense wealth?

Can Blake hold on to Lana's heart when she discovers the enormity of the dark secrets that inhabit the Barrington family?

Lana has always believed that love conquers all. She is about to test that belief...

Buy @ Amazon

Genre – Erotic Romance

Rating – PG-18

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The Sovereign Order of Monte Cristo by Holy Ghost Writer @SultanOfSalem #Action #BookClub

After the much-needed bath, Dantes puts on his dressing gown and lies down on his old bed, which he finds deeply comforting. He has played and traveled hard over the past few busy years, and he knows it has worn on him; there is more silver in his hair than before. He hopes to slow down soon, for he loves his new home with his family close by and misses them terribly. The sweet, baby faces of his daughters loom in the darkness of his closed eyes. How blessed he is! He resolves to enjoy Paris while he is here, though. He wants to go to the opera while he is in town and also visit a few of his favorite haunts. Finally, he falls fast asleep, only to awaken to a servant telling him the meal is nearly ready.

The servant helps Dantes dress and leads him to the dining room.

“The table looks divine,” Dantes says, thinking how nice it is to be out of his traveling clothes and into something more refined. He looks at the spread before him—fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as two huge pheasants with mint jelly. The yeasty smell of homemade bread fills the air and makes his mouth water.

“I hope this pleases you, sir,” Valentine tells him. “I know the food in America is quite different. Perhaps you have become too accustomed to their fare to appreciate ours.”

“Oh, nothing can compare to a good French meal, although American food has its own charms. When the baby is old enough to travel, you will all have to visit my estate in Georgia. It’s a different world, but one I believe you will enjoy,” Dantes tells them.

Just then, he hears the creak of a wheelchair. In comes M. Noirtier. Dantes rushes over to him and bids him hello.

“My old friend!” he says. “My heart fills with joy to see you—let us enjoy this magnificent feast as well as one another’s company.”

The next morning, Dantes plans to visit more of his old friends, at least those who still reside in Paris.

A carriage awaits him in the hazy light of dawn, and he is flooded with memories as he drives through the streets. He wishes Mercedes and Haydee could be at his side, but knows his daughters are far too young for such travel; it would exhaust them.

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Genre – Action, Adventure

Rating – PG-15

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Website http://holyghostwriterbooks.blogspot.ca/

Seat of the Pants, Everyday is a Surprise by Will North @WillNorthAuthor #Women #WriteTip

I’m in the middle of writing my nineteenth book. It’s also my fifth novel. I switched to fiction late in my writing career.

Before that, and for many years, I was a nonfiction ghostwriter on a wide array of subjects, and for a colorful collection of clients who included Bill Clinton, Al Gore, a team of history-making mountaineers, a famous doctor, a “green living” pioneer, a young group of paleontologists who found the largest dinosaur in history, and any number of others.  What I loved about being a ghostwriter was that the challenge was always new, and typically on a subject I knew relatively little about (Dinosaurs? They’re still dead, right? Where’s the story in that?).

What I didn’t love was that all my clients were always in a hurry: there was an election to win, or there was a film being made, or there was a PBS television program to be broadcast for which we need the matching book, and so forth.  I seldom had more than three months to produce the final product. Think about that. Think about the number of chapters in an average book. Then, think about the number of weeks in three months and how many chapters you need to write in those weeks. Not to mention the research needed to write them. And finally, figure in no time for rewrites.

Like impending death, this sort of task focuses the mind marvelously and generates entire reservoirs of adrenalin.  I wrote ten to twelve hours a day, seven days a week.

By the seat of my pants.

Other than arriving at a clear sense of the arc of the story, I did not outline, although I kept a scribbled list of the order of subjects in each chapter on butcher paper on the wall by my desk, as I wrote them.  Any good creative writing professor will tell you this is nuts. But it worked for me. And for my clients and publishers. My first drafts went direct to print. Please understand: I am not bragging; I just didn’t know any better! Or any different.

When I finally turned to fiction, I still didn’t know any better.  My first novel, The Long Walk Home, exploded out of me in the usual three months, without an outline. It was sold to a major New York “legacy” publisher in ten days. Then I decided, since I knew nothing about writing fiction, that perhaps I’d better look into how to do it. I discovered that many novelists outline their stories in detail before they even begin writing.  It tried that for a couple of weeks with my second novel and gave up. It felt like being in a straightjacket.

And this is where I get to tell you about the magic of NOT outlining.  When I begin a novel, I usually only have three things in my head: a setting, a couple of characters, and some underlying theme I want to explore. That’s it.  So picture this for a moment:  I’m writing page three of the very first chapter of my second novel, Water, Stone, Heart, when—out of the blue—an eight year old girl, smart as a whip, shows up on the page. I look around my office and in my head I’m saying, “Where the hell did YOU come from? What are you doing in my story?” And then she proceeds to effectively take over the book. I am not kidding.

That’s “seat of the pants.”  That’s being open to magic, to surprise.  I often tell readers I don’t so much write as take dictation from my (often very bossy) characters.  I’m not really in the driver's seat. They are.  I can see them look at the outline on the wall by my desk and just hoot in derision, “No way, Dude!"

“Seat of the Pants” works for me, and every day is a surprise.

Every summer for generations, three families intertwined by history, marriage, and career have spent “the season” at their beach cottage compounds on an island in Puget Sound. Today, Martha “Pete” Petersen, married to Tyler Strong, is the lynchpin of the “summer people.” In childhood, she was the tomboy every girl wanted to emulate and is now the mother everyone admires.
Colin Ryan, family friend and the island’s veterinarian, met Pete first in London, years earlier, when she visited his roommate, Tyler. He’s loved her, privately, ever since. Born in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen, son of a bar owner, he’s always been dazzled by what he sees of the sun-kissed lives of the summer people.

But this summer, currents strong as the tides roil: jealousies grow, tempers flare, passions clash. Then, on the last day of the season, a series of betrayals alters the combined histories of these families forever.

As in previous novels, The Long Walk Home and Water, Stone, Heart, with Seasons’ End, Will North weaves vivid settings and memorable characters into a compelling tale of romance and suspense.

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Genre – Women's Contemporary Fiction

Rating – PG-13

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Website willnorthonline.com

Belinda Vasquez Garcia on What Motivates Her @MagicProse #Suspense #Mystery #Romance

Have you always enjoyed writing?
Is the pope Catholic?

What motivates you to write?
I can never resist the draw of a love story, the solving of a mystery, or the suspense of the unknown. These are all factors in I Will Always Love You.

What writing are you most proud of?
I’m always most proud of my latest book since I continue to evolve as a writer. I Will Always Love You is part mystery, part suspense, and part romance.

What are you most proud of in your personal life?
I am proudest of my children.

Who is your favorite author?
Jane Austen

What book genre of books do you adore?
I love romantic suspense and paranormal or supernatural books.

What book should everybody read at least once?
Gone with the Wind

Is there any books you really don’t enjoy?
I like historical fiction but do not care for dry history books.

What do you hope your obituary will day about you?
Here lies a dreamer who lived a long, happy life.

Location and life experiences can really influence writing, tell us where you grew up and
where you now live?
I grew up in sunny California, sunny New Mexico and now live in sunny Florida.

The last thing Miranda ever expected was to see her brother's ghost at the fallen Twin Towers.

It's bad enough survivor Christopher Michaels scares her with claims that if one dies violently, his ghost will haunt the place that holds his name. And to top it all, one of those thousands of ghosts follows Miranda to her hotel. The only certainty is the ghost grabbing her under the covers is not Jake.

Their parents' deaths separated Miranda from Jake when they were kids. Michaels insists Jake brought them together and it's no coincidence that of thousands mourning at Ground Zero, it's his best friend she bumps into. Some best friend. Michaels is more like a moocher. The cheapskate never has money, just a blood-stained wallet he broods over. Miranda has no choice but to hang out with the weird Michaels in order to unravel her brother's past.

As Miranda spends time with Michaels, she begins to wonder who he really is. Against her better judgment, Miranda becomes emotionally entangled with Michaels, a bitter alcoholic with a secret linked to her brother and that blood-stained wallet.

I Will Always Love You is part mystery, suspense and romance, a novel that will keep the reader turning the pages!

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Genre – Suspense, Mystery, Romance

Rating – PG

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Website http://belindavasquezgarcia.com/