Don't Price Your ebook at $1.99

Lindsey Rietzsch

Here is an intriguing article I read the other day on gigaom.com

What’s the right price for your self-published ebook? You’ll probably want to stay in the $2.99 to $5.99 range, new data from Kobo’s Writing Life platform suggests — and stay away from $1.99 if you want to maximize sales.

Publishers Weekly reports on Kobo’s self-publishing platform, Writing Life, which launched in June 2012. Mark Lefebvre, Kobo’s director of self-publishing and author relations, tells PW that the $1.99 price point “is dead”:

“Authors most often start at $2.99 ‘and walk the prices up,’ he said, noting, ‘A low price point may be a hook, but it’s the quality of a work that attracts readers, not the price.’ Lefebvre added that $1.99 is dead ‘not just for us, but also, it seems, on other platforms,’ pointing out that $0.99 KWL titles sell twice as many copies as those at $1.99, and that ‘$2.99 sells more than four times more.’ About 80 percent of the KWL titles that sell consistently are priced in the $2.99–$5.99 range, and he also pointed to ‘a bit of a lift in the $7.99–$9.99 price range.’”

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This is corroborated by a recent report from self-publishing platform Smashwords, in which Smashwords CEO Mark Coker called the $1.99 price point “a black hole” and said to avoid it. He found that “on average, $3.99 books sold more units than $2.99 books, and more units than any other price except FREE.”

So what is the problem with $1.99? It may be that readers have come to associate it with bargain-basement quality; they may see $0.99 or free as a promotional or limited-time price and $2.99 and above as a marker of quality. I’d love to hear thoughts from self-published authors in the comments.

http://gigaom.com/2013/09/23/dont-price-your-ebook-at-1-99/#!

TV Interview for "The Altar"

So here is the first TV interview I have for my book "The Altar". After the interview I thought I could have done a lot better there were so many things I left out that I wanted to say about where and how to buy my book.

But a big thanks to Matt and Libby the hosts they were great and this allowed me to make notes for my next interview as I go on tour.

Click the link below to watch the interview on my book the Altar with channel 6 in Pocatello. I thought I did terrible but the hosts were great and the experience was so fun. Always keep learning.
Elsha

http://www.kpvi.com/content/news/local/story/KPVI-More-Books-Author-Elsha-Fornefeld/P6IBZaEGZ0KZv3XNfWibjQ.cspx

Okay so I had a great response from the television interviews. The Messages, e-mails, and IM for support and with questions have been pouring in so thank you. But if anyone lives in the Idaho Falls area we are doing a BIG book signing tomorrow at Hastings in Idaho Falls from 2-5. So please come and support our blog and the  "The Altar" book. If you already bought a book I would love to sign it. Or you can get ones there for cheaper than the amazon price, since you don't have to pay the royalties or shipping. If nothing else get a free pen and I would love to meet you.

Happy reading,
Elsha Fornefeld

Also, I'm going to be on Channel 6 in Pocatello tomorrow at 4 :00 on the Aaron Moore show to Promote my new book "The Altar" Timeless Generation. Way excited if you can't get the show I'll post the link on my webpage. REALLY! REALLY ! Excited but please tune in if you can. Thanks to my family and friends for the awesome support. I'll also be mentioning our blog so all you authors out there pay attention. J/K hope you catch it.

Working Out In the Field

Elsha Fornefeld

This Saturday September 28, 2012 author signing, Elsha  Fornefeld, "The Altar," 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 28, Hastings, 540 E. 17th St. in Idaho Falls, iD. I’m doing my first personal appearance as an author signing. Since I have gone self-published, I have found that my actual hard copies of my book have actually excelled my e-book sales.

This was very startling and at first I thought it was because of friends and family and people I knew just wanted a copy, but when people started ordering them like crazy from India, and the UK and I was getting reviews on the book from people I didn’t know I took a close look at my marketing,

 I know about my demographics my book falls under a romantic fantasy and paranormal genre. Which usually falls under young adult, and an also readers 25-45 which is rather broad. However, let us admit Twiglight is Young Adult and how many of us have read it? This is where I went into a further analysis of my demographics which is called phsycogrpacis. I may have mentioned this to you before in a previous article. Well physiographic are where your demographics  and fans eat, hang out, if they go to movies, what kind of music they like, and how much they are willing to spend on a book.  Also what type of phone do they have or do they own a kindle or not.

Surprisingly while my genre is fit for a younger generation they also prefer to have a hard copy of this type of book. My husband that travels a lot noticed that while people had their kindles out to read they were commonly regency or 'how to' books that were cheaper. And the people that had hard copies of books were The Hunger Games and Twighlight. I checked and all my friends and extended family and fans had all these books lining their shelves and not on kindle

So sometimes, self-publishing means going to print and I make more money on each copy of a hard book than I do sale digitally. Now this takes a lot of work and business savvy on my part to get my books in stores and signings and making public appearances, but if it’ something that you want go for it.

I have faced my challenges with my new book but I have had my groove and had a huge response and a lot of learning about as I go through with it. So if that is how you want to get your book going go ahead and get out there.

Motivation from a Grump

Lindsey Rietzsch

We were at my husband's company party Friday night having a great time with the family. Shortly before we were ready to leave my husband introduced me to his boss. He told me that the nick name for his boss at the office is "Grumpy" because he seldom smiles and he doesn't know how to relax. He's a brawny manly man who doesn't say much and yes, when talking to him, I could see how that nick name rang a little true - which is why I was completely surprised when he said what he said.

As we headed towards the exit, he turned to me and said, "I absolutely loved your book!" (of course without a smile, just a serious expression). Apparently he had read The Realm and was a big fan. He then told me that he has never read that genre before or had any interest in it but decided to give my book a try. He said he was so glad he did and couldn't believe what it good book it really was. As if he didn't think I was convinced he proceeded to tell me why he liked the book so much and how he can't wait for the second book. Soon I began to see a spark in his eye as he continued talking about it.

Let me just tell you that this wasn't the first time I have heard a great review about my book - but for some reason because it came from someone as serious as this man, it meant more. For him to take the time to tell me as much as he did, I knew he meant it. That was my motivating moment to get book #2 finished as soon as possible.

I think we all motivating moments like this in our life. Moments when we get real and genuine feedback from our fans and we remember why it is we love what we do as writers.

Down the road when those discouraging moments come, I will reflect back on this man's comments as a reminder to why it's important to keep up the hard work.

I challenge you to start a collection of all the positive remarks you receive about your books. Write them down and keep them close by - so when you need your motivation and reminders that you are a great writer, you'll have it close by!

Happy Writing! 

The Invaluable Source of a Newsletter

Elsha Fornefeld

So, I know that a newsletter seems old and outdated. Well guess what - this is where you cull some of your very best fans and keep them coming. This is a great to network and an infallible source to keep in touch with your fans and spread the news about any subject that maybe going on about your books. It keeps the characters alive to them, you and fresh in their minds.

               
When you type a newsletter, always make sure that you get a mailing list going. This is a very important step and reassures that your readership will not be used for advertising or junk mail. When writing the newsletter it should be written in first person so that the readers know they are hearing from you. This is their chance to connect with you and your characters so let them know you value their support.

               
This also drives sales and makes a great way to announce anything that you are doing. Always announce more than one thing in your newsletter and be sure to include vivid pictures and colors in your design. Also, always include your book cover. The newsletter is a great way to announce things events.

·            Announce the release of the book and/or the launch of the website

·         Promote a special deal on the book

·         Announce a contest

·         Boast about a great review and/or award you won

·         Offer a teaser about your next book

·         Let people know about an upcoming article/interview you’re doing

·         Promote your podcasts

Promote yourself as well in your newsletters. I like to let my readers get to know me in my newsletters. I recently added a funny little story in my newsletter that was less than 500 words, but over 10 of my readers at a book signing went on and on about it, and how much they could relate to me. This enabled them to relate even more to my characters.

 My Day as a Disney Princess

               I woke up this morning to the happy squawking of my friend, Mr. Rooster. He speaks excitedly to me before the cute little tinkering bell of my alarm clock cheerfully perks me up.  I gently awaken all four of my darling little children. They instantly hop out of bed, put on their cleanest, finest clothes, and their hair falls neatly into place with the help of a magic hairbrush that can rip the tangles out of a thistle.  All the while, my little darlings hold perfectly still.

                As we break our fast, my two youngest take great delight in scattering food on the floor like scented rose pedals that I am certain my cherubs or our talking mice friends will not find a week later and eat.  The two older joys calmly collect their things and never forget to give their mother a kiss on the way out the door, as they sing “hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to school we go.”

                Now it is time to go outside and talk to all my pleasant animal friends. The cat patiently reminds me he needs to be fed.  He moves loving between my legs while I gracefully dance with him and never trip. Then it is off to see my loving bird friends who have left me splatters of joy and contentment at the sight of my chariot that is nestled under a tree.

                I playfully fling some of the most succulent yard clippings to old friend Goat and decide it’s time to sing with my animal friends knowing they will talk to me and join in.  After singing pitch perfect, the “Coca-Cola Jingle,” my loving friend Goat rams the fence and the pleasant village tradesmen next door bellow encouraging words of kindness, the likes of which I have never before heard.

                I go about my day singing gaily, as I energetically clean the entire castle. I put my youngest cherubs down for a nap; the day passing as quickly as planned. I never have to dash for my carriage waking up my little angels from their nap causing them to cry out jubilation at their shortened slumber. I gather them in time to pick up my older darlings from school.

                While in my carriage, I enjoy the happy news of the pleasantries about the world. Everyone gets along in my perfectly clean carriage that is powered by fairy dust.  It squeaks loudly on occasion when the fairies get excited.  All the other wonderful children at the little enchanted school wait happily. They pay perfect attention the carriages bustling about, never risking their lives.

Later that wonderful evening, dinner has been prepared with prefect precision made by glorious magic that my fairy godmother gave me in a box called “Mac and cheese.” It is set loving as the centerpiece on the immaculate table. My Prince Charming arrives to be greeted and lovingly praised by three miniature princesses. Then our amazing heirs leave us all the time in the world for a passionate dance and true love’s kiss.

-Elsha Fornefeld

This little short story also got a huge response of happy comments on my webpage. So do not forget your fans and the wealth of readership that a newsletter can bring you. You shouldn’t make a newsletter more than two pages and it should be sent as an e-mail in html style. So that the reader can see the links to buy your books, deals, or events you may have going.

The Value of a Negative Review

Lindsey Rietzsch

If you haven't yet experienced the stab to the gut feeling of reading that first negative review of your first beloved masterpiece - well, don't hold your breath...sooner or later you will.

It's funny how more than often it doesn't matter that you may have received ten or more wonderful reviews from your loyal readers - when that blow to your heart & soul strikes all those other excellent reviews seem to go right out the window. Strange how that happens.

Well, here's a valuable lesson I learned from taking a negative review and turning it into something good. Yes, you read right - turning something negative into something positive. It can be done!

I remember getting my first negative review on my most recent book, and being frustrated that the reader gave me a bad review because the characters in my book were of a non-denominational Christian upbringing and this particular reader was an atheist. I didn't think that was fair for her to give my story a bad review because she didn't agree with the beliefs of the characters.

After a few days of letting off steam and receiving a few more similar reviews, I finally realized the value of this harsh review. My book was categorized under "paranormal" as it is very much a suspenseful, paranormal book. However as much as it mentions demons and dark apparitions, it also mentions angels, light and miracles. I realized that most paranormal readers prefer dark stories without the happy feel good endings. My book needed to reach readers who prefer happy feel good endings where good triumphs over evil. I needed to re-categorize my book under  Christian Paranormal.

Yes, my friends - that made all the difference. I realized that these other readers were angry. As much as they wanted a good ghost story they didn't want to hear any mentioning of Christian influences. They just wanted the ghost story. As soon as I changed my category I found the right readers and it was a match made in heaven. The good reviews began to pour in. My new readers became big fans and had nothing but great things to say about my book!

Had I just been angry about those bad reviews and left it at that, I would have continued receiving more bad reviews. Instead I chose to listen to what the reviewers were saying  - I was targeting the wrong readers. After becoming proactive I saved the repuation of my book.

You see, all reviews especially the bad ones, tell us valuable information about our book. They give us clues as to what we can do to avoid more bad reviews. Whether it be that we need to have our book better edited or just that we have it placed under a more fitting genre - we should listen to what those readers are telling us.

With that I offer a small caution. There are certain instances when readers are not being respectful or helpful with their reviews. Instead it appears as though they are just plain bullying you and your book. Go ahead and Google "authors bullied on goodreads" and you'll see what I mean. It happens quite often.

I remember with my first book How to Date Your Spouse - one woman gave it a low review because it didn't save her marriage. She said that her husband was unwilling to read the book and try any of the date ideas. She did however state that it was "a great book" and she learned "all kinds of stuff". Now it didn't seem fair after saying it was great, that she would rate it low just because her husband didn't want to read it and try the ideas. Also in the beginning of my book - it states that it's not for couples with serious marital issues. But I have no control over that and as an author I have to respect her rating. I can rest at ease however knowing  that most people who read her review will take it with a grain of salt realizing her circumstance.

I will admit from personal experience that goodreads reviewers are much more harsh than Amazon reviewers. It's not uncommon to have a higher rating on Amazon than on Goodreads in regards to the same book. When this happens you just have to bite the bullet and disregard the comments or it can destroy you if you let it. Bullying behavior can be reported but there is never a guarantee that it will be dealt with by Goodreads or Amazon. For the most part, if the majority of your reviews are wonderful than you really shouldn't let a couple of pointless bashing remarks bother you.

Take the reviews that seem honest and see what you can learn from them - even if you disagree with them. There is great value in doing this.

Happy Writing!

Featured Author: Preston Randall

Preston Randall

Preston Randall was born in Philadelphia but moved to Canada at an early age and currently resides in Victoria, British Columbia. After graduating with a B.Sc. in Biology he pursued an administrative career spanning thirty years, seven of which were spent in the Caribbean. Although always interested in creative writing, it wasn't until after returning to Canada in 2007 that he published his first short story.

A dedicated distance runner, Preston has a personal best of 2:35 in the marathon and completed the Boston Marathon in a respectable 2:47. He now runs for fun and fitness and only competes in the marathon vicariously through the characters in his latest story.

In 2011 Preston joined an online writing community at BookRix.com, and has since received awards in 3 writing competitions including 1st place in a Journalism Writing Challenge, 3rd in an open fiction contest, and 1st again for Flash Fiction (Drabbles). Although known for his humorous characters and descriptions, many of Preston's stories include veiled and not-so-veiled messages regarding serious issues of the day.

 

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.

This story deals with some sensitive issues but not in a heavy-handed manner and the ending should leave readers with a great deal of satisfaction at how all the crazy characters and situations are interconnected and resolved (and it’s funny too).
 

What TV show/movie/book do you watch/read that you'd be embarrassed to admit?

My wife and I are completely hooked on a number of reality TV series including “Big Brother” where the goal is not to get voted out of the Big Brother house by the majority. Individual competitors are obviously selected based on the volatility of their personalities and everything short of physical violence is widely encouraged. Watching the show is like driving past a car wreck – you know you shouldn’t stare but it’s almost impossible to look away. It could be great research for writing as you get insights into how people generally react under stress. But I don’t kid myself—I think the real appeal is watching “bad” social behavior and feeling good about yourself for not being as dysfunctional as those in the show.
 

Who or what inspired your last book?

As an aging distance runner I’ve long come to realize my competitive days are over and it’s now mainly a battle to make it to the finish line in one piece. One day while I was out jogging my imagination took over and I wondered if there were any circumstances that would allow me to actually win a marathon in my present condition. I don’t’ want to give too much away, but anyone who reads the story will understand what my twisted mind came up with. 
 

Most embarrassing moment?
When I was 10 or 11 years old, our family hosted a BBQ for all the staff from the University Department where my mother worked. My older brother and I were trying desperately to be “adult” and engage in conversation with various staff members. At one point in front of a relatively large group of people, one of the staff asked what the difference in age was between my brother and me. Before my brother could say anything I confidently blurted out that he was six months older. Everyone in the group burst out laughing and my brother found many opportunities over the years to remind me what an idiot I was.

Scariest moment?
When I was about 16 a friend offered to drive me to Ma-Me-O Beach in Alberta for one of their infamous weekend dance-parties. As we wanted to arrive fully lubricated at the end of the 35-mile drive, we opened up a case of beer and decided to use the back roads to avoid being stopped by the local police. After numerous beers, I was instructed to look for a landmark by the side of the road—a large white house—which would indicate the need to make a sharp left-hand turn leading into town. My friend was notorious for driving like a maniac and true to form when I signaled for the turn he cranked the wheel hard left without slowing down from about 60 mph. We slid straight into the ditch and all I remember is a stream of beer hitting me in the face (from the open bottle in my lap) and then total disorientation as the car flipped and rolled about 30 yards into the bushes. Miraculously we pried our way out of the crushed vehicle with only a few minor cuts and scrapes. But after staggering back to the road we saw that we had missed a telephone pole by about 6 inches. We hitchhiked into town and got cleaned up, but I’ve often wondered at the seeming randomness of fate—some being tragically killed in incidents like ours while we walked away virtually unharmed. 

Preston's Book: The Unbelievable Story of How I Met Your Mother

Daniel Zurenski feels like a total loser, but he's about to encounter a crazy array of characters who are going to change his life forever. It starts with Fred Zimmerman (and his unique pet) who scrubs pots at The Spaghetti Barn restaurant and accidentally sets off a disastrous chain of events. There's the volatile restaurant manager Paolo and his greasy head chef nephew Tony. Then there's a fanatical sports reporter named Bruce Jagerski who dreams of winning a marathon if only he didn't have such a bizarre running style. All come together during marathon race weekend in this hilarious tale which will keep you guessing right to the finish line.

Get Preston's Book 

Tips for the Blogging Mommy (Guest Blogger - Tristi Pinkston)

Tristi Pinkston

I’m an author, an editor, a homeschooling mom, and I’m very involved in my church. I teach at writing conferences and I’m a media reviewer. In short, I’m very busy.

People ask me all the time how I manage to balance everything. Well, truth be told, I don’t always. You don’t want to drop by my house unexpectedly or you’ll never know what you’ll find. We live in organized chaos. I stay up too late at night and there are days when I feel like I’m chasing my tail. But there are a few things I’ve learned that I’d like to share with you in hopes that it will help make your schedule a little more conducive to writing. Or for that matter, finding time to do any other thing you’d like.

1 – Meals and Snacks

You don’t need to prepare an all-out meal from scratch three times a day. You can do cold cereal for breakfast once in a while, you know. You can also do cheese, crackers, lunch meat, and fruit/veggies for lunch. I do try to prepare “actual dinners,” as my daughter puts it, but on days when I’m seriously writing, I let mealtimes become more casual. Some ideas:

a. Keep yogurt in your fridge for a quick snack for you or the kids. Yogurt and a banana make a great breakfast, too. 

b. Take a loaf of bread and make it into a whole stack of sandwiches. Then slide the sandwiches back into the bread sack. When someone needs a sandwich, they can just grab one out of the fridge.

c. Designate one crisper in your fridge to be a “snack drawer.” Fill it up with apples, cheese sticks, yogurt, etc. When your children want a snack, tell them to go get something out of the “snack drawer.” You can do the same thing in your cupboard. Make a basket with pretzels, crackers, etc. and have that be the special “snack basket.” You can take sandwich bags and break the boxes down into serving sizes and tell them they can have one so they don’t run off with the whole box.

d. Make meals ahead of time and stick them in the freezer. 

e. When I buy a package of meat, I like to cook it all up and then freeze it, cooked. That way, when I go to use it, I just have to warm it through instead of defrosting and then cooking it.

f. Make tomorrow’s dinner while you’re making tonight’s. Especially if you’re using cooked meat, you can assemble tomorrow’s dinner, cover it, and put it in the fridge. Then just throw it in the oven tomorrow night.

g. Teach your older children how to make sandwiches, warm up soup, etc. They get a sense of pride in their accomplishments when they are allowed to help make a meal.

h. If you have younger children, make some sippy cups with milk, juice, and water in them. Then when the child gets thirsty, they can either grab one themselves or you can send your older child to get it for them. It’s a lot less expensive than juice boxes, that’s for sure.

These are all things you can either direct from your computer or will help you spend less time in the kitchen = more time at the computer.


2 – Entertaining the Troops

a. It’s not a sin to let your children watch TV. I don’t mean to stick them in front of it for hours on end and let them watch whatever comes on; there are definite dangers in allowing entire days in front of the TV, and with the programming that’s on, you never know what they might be subjected to. But there are some fabulous programs on that are fun and educational, as well as great DVDs. My kids have learned a lot from shows like CyberChase, Stanley, Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, The Magic School Bus, and the like. There’s nothing wrong with turning on the TV and letting your kids watch a show or two while you write, and then you both take breaks and spend time together. 

b. Get some paper and crayons and let your kids “write” a book of their own while you’re working.

c. Ask older children to read to the younger ones.


3 – Adjusting Your Sleep

This one’s hard. But consider getting up earlier than your kids or staying up late after they go to bed. It will do a number on your own sleep, but you’ll have a sense of contentment that may help make up for some of that lack.

4 – Housework

a. I have to get up and walk around periodically. So while I’m doing that, I’ll change out the laundry and put in a load of dishes. Usually by the time I’m done doing that, I’ll be ready to get back to work.

b. It’s not a sin to teach your children to do chores. The happiest children are the ones who feel that they are valuable in their homes and who have a sense of purpose. When you teach your children to do chores, you are helping them to feel needed. Of course, keep the chores age-appropriate. My 10-year-old can vacuum, and my 8-year-old can wipe up the bathroom mirrors and counter top. My five-year-old can unload the dishwasher. I even have my older kids stand on chairs to get the laundry out of the washer and put it in the dryer. They all love helping me make dinner. As they get older, I’ll teach them to do other things. This not only clears up five minutes of time for me here and there, but when we work together to turn a half-hour job into a ten-minute job (freeing up twenty minutes) we’re drawing closer together.

c. Reevaluate your thinking about housework. It’s important to have clean towels and clothes, and feeding your family is a good thing. But if you can give up something to give yourself time to write, think about doing it. Are there ways you could simplify your routines? Can you delegate more to your husband? Can you put up with toys scattered across the floor for a little while so you can finish your chapter? Is it necessary to have all your dishes perfectly stacked all the time? When you’re on a roll with your book, it’s okay to let some things slide until you’re done. 

5 – Organizing Your Time

Yeah, this tip’s not a piece of cake either. When you’ve got other people in the house and they have needs, it’s sometimes impossible to create the chunks of time you need. 

a. One thing I do is to create Days. What I mean by that is, Wednesday, for instance, was Scout Day when that was my assignment at church. After lunch I’d sit down and review what I needed to do to prepare for the Scouts to come at 4:30. I wasn’t writing during this time, or grocery shopping, or anything else. It was devoted to Scouts. I got ready for them to come, they came, and then after they left, I looked at the next week’s meeting. I did any ahead-of-time prep work that needed doing, and if I needed to buy something, I put it on my shopping list. I recorded what they got passed off and made notes on what they needed to do next. Then, with the exception of getting whatever I might have put on the shopping list, I didn’t think about it until the next Wednesday. When I was a Stampin’ Up! distributor, Tuesday was my prep day for that. Look at your life—are there certain tasks you can isolate to one day a week?

b. Create an errand day. I used to have the tendency to run out and do errands several times a week, and I found I was away from home a lot. Now what I do is designate an errand day. This usually coordinates with payday. I’ll sit down and pay bills, and then I’ll go out and do all my grocery shopping, trip to the post office, to the bank (if needed) library, etc, all at once. It makes for about a three-hour trip, but it’s better for me to get it done at once. Now, of course, in between times I still run to the library (who could go for two weeks without books?) and I do mail books as the orders come in. But I try to do it in chunks so I’m home more often.

c. And again, with the sleep thing I already mentioned. I’m usually up until around 2 am, the main reason for this being that the house is quiet and I’m not pulled in so many directions. From 9:00 when all the kids are in bed (supposedly) until I conk out, I can be at the computer.

I think the main thing we need to do is find a way to create balance. You can write and take care of your children at the same time. If you’re totally ignoring your kids in order to write, it won’t be as satisfactory to you. But if you totally ignore yourself and your own talents and ambitions, you won’t derive the kind of satisfaction from motherhood that you should. Take care of yourself so you can take care of your kids.

Tristi's Blog http://tristipinkston.blogspot.com/

Guest Blogger - Ginny Hartman

Ginny Hartman has become a best-selling author in three countries with the release of her first book 'Deceiving the Duke of Kerrington' that she released in June of 2013. With her unexpected success she has released her second book in the series and it premieres today. She has also agreed to be a guest blogger and share a little of her success.

Ginny's New Book: Misleading Lord Martineau

Who is your favorite author? Hmmm...this is like asking me to pick my favorite child! Two of my favorites are Mary Higgins Clark and Gerald Lund.

What inspired you to become an author? I've always thought it would be cool to say I had written a book but never thought I could actually do it. After reading 'How to Write a Fiction Novel in 30 days or Less' by Nicholas Black, I thought to myself, why not try it? I wrote my first novel in less than a month and haven't stopped since. I'm currently working on my fifth novel! The concept of creating something out of nothing really excites and appeals to me. Just knowing that I can imagine and create characters and worlds that give an escape to myself and my readers is empowering.

Are you working on anything else right now? I'm currently working on the third novel in my Ladies of Deception trilogy, 'Betraying the Viscount Bridgerton' and hope to have it released in December.

If you could travel back to any time or place what would it be? Most definitely back to Israel when Jesus walked the earth. The political and religious turmoil of that time is fascinating to me and I love Israel. If I could be there when Jesus was alive and see Him I would be in heaven! But also, I'd love to go back to Regency England but only for a short time. Long enough to attend some house parties and balls, but I have a feeling that living in a society with all those restrictions and rules would not suit me.

Any advice for new writers? Don't do it for recognition, money, or success, do it because you love it. If you love what you do than your readers will to. 

My first published book, 'Deceiving the Duke of Kerrington' became an Amazon Historical Romance Bestseller in the U.S., the U.K., and India

What inspires you to write in the genre that you do? I'm fascinated by the regency period because of the endless rules and restrictions placed on society. It was such a frivolous time in regards to entertainment but in other ways it was so restricting. Propriety in romance can make it all the more delicious when we can focus more on the relationship evolving than on smut.

What do you think allowed your book to be so successful versus other types of books? I think writing in a popular genre really helps, but also a good cover is so important because it's the first thing readers will judge your book by.

How did you launch your book and spread the word? I promoted my book via my facebook page mainly and word of mouth.

Any advice for new writers or for people just starting to promote their book? Don't stress if you don't see instant success, just having accomplished writing and publishing a book is a tremendous hallmark of success. Don't compare yourself to anyone else and enjoy the ride!