Release Day! Stories of Sun, Sand & Sea— Mistletoe and Palm Trees


It’s Release Day!


Stories of Sun, Sand & Sea –
Mistletoe and Palm Trees- Media Kit
Title: Stories of Sun, Sand & Sea – Mistletoe and Palm
Trees
Genre: Adult Romantic Suspense
Publication Date: Nov. 7, 2017
Publisher: Rolling
Thunder Publishing
Format: eBook
ASIN: B0763GGJBR
Inktera: 
Tolino: 
*****
Book Description: 
Stories of Sun, Sand & Sea – Mistletoe &
Palm Trees. “Makes for ten holiday celebrations like none other. Sunny
skies. Check. Palm Trees. Check. Beaches. Maybe. Family. Sometimes. Love and
Romance. Double Check. Scrumptious food and a few cocktails. Triple Check.
Murder. At least one.

Ten novellas written with heart felt holiday
spirit that will make you laugh, bring tears to your eyes, warmth to your soul,
intrigue to your psyche, with just enough romance to make you wish for more.
Celebrate with us!”  The ten authors of
Indie Publishing Coalition. 
Search Terms: Multiple Authors, Vacation Destinations, Christmas Stories,
Holiday Books, Romantic Suspense, Romance
*****
Blurbs: 
Judith Lucci:  Biloxi Beach Murders
(Book 2)
Tag Line – The Gulf Coast Can be Deadly
Kat, who finishes her graduate degree in Art
History in December, travels from Washington, DC where she is interning at the
Smithsonian Museum to Biloxi for some Thanksgiving holiday fun with her
friends. Everyone is there including – her former main squeeze Liam. A great
time turns sour when one of her old friends from the University of New Orleans
is found beaten and bruised, floating in a fishing boat in the Gulf of Mexico.
*****
Lilian Robert:   Waves
of Passion
Lindsey is a stunning young woman full of life,
smart, efficient and ambitious, she surrounds herself with quality friends and
has gained the respect of coworkers, superiors, and friends. 

Her heartbreaking separation from a five-year relationship left a void that
someday would need to be filled. But at this point, romance seemed like unsafe
territory.

And just about the time she thought she had achieved an impenetrable,
relationship-proof fortress, Paul, a virtual friend on Facebook, sweeps he
thoughts away and sets her nights on fire. If he is anything like what she had
built in her mind, he would be a force to be reckoned. Lindsey is just about to
find out.

*****
PJ Fiala:   Copper
Moon – Colby
Aubree Norman has run Norman House Inn since she
was twenty years old. Boyfriends have come and gone, not understanding her need
to keep her grandparents home viable and running. Settling in to grow old in
the beautiful Victorian and make her bed & breakfast the place to be, she
killing it.

When fire jumper, Colby Landon comes to town he brings excitement with him.
First, the hotel burns down other fires soon follow. As the flame burns hot
between Aubree and Colby, will their love have a chance to grow or will the
arsonist’s torch turn their newfound flame into smoldering embers?

*****
Cherime MacFarlane:   Wild
in Willow
The Larkin family plans to celebrate Christmas a
little early due to a commitment made by the oldest son. But things are brewing
in the background that may make it Wild in Willow. Irene Maddox is accompanying
her friend Libby to the celebration. Can the family survive the blow up? Only
time will tell.
*****
Nicole Sorrell:  The Art of Getting Away
Carlos is head over heels for his sassy girl
Andie, and he wants their first Christmas together to be extra special. A
romantic escape to the lake cabin where they met will be perfect. But Andie’s
ex-boyfriend interrupts his plans, begging her to give him a second chance.
Carlos suspects the former gang member isn’t telling Andie the truth, and
decides he’s going to do whatever it takes to keep her. And if that means
fighting dirty…
*****
Angel Sefer:  Deadly Paradise
When Angelos Dimitriou a devastatingly handsome
prominent attorney from Athens finds Natasha Ioannou unconscious on the steep
rocks of a remote beach on Naxos, he is caught in a web of conspiracy,
extortion, and greed. But the feisty and brave young woman with the emerald
eyes captivates his soul, and Angelos throws caution to the wind in order to
protect her. Caught in the eye of the storm, Natasha finds it hard to trust
anyone. Will she ever open up to Angelos? And will he be able to save the
blonde beauty from the threat hovering over her?
*****
Sybil Shae:  One More Day: Surviving the Waves
After the hurricane Chloe’s life was in
shambles, much like the buildings and the land around her, everything was
destroyed. Her home, her family and her love all torn apart by a single wave.
There was nothing left for her at Luna Beach. She moved away and spent years
struggling to put her life back together. Just when she is starting to feel a
small sense of normalcy, a Christmas Card arrives in the mail. What it says
sets her emotions and her sanity into a whirlwind.
*****
P.J. MacLayne:  Love on the Dunes
Sunny skies, sandy beaches, palm trees and
swimsuits. It wasn’t like any Christmas Carena Galloway had ever known. She
missed her family and worried about her relationship with her boyfriend, Aiden
Wade. A picnic on the beach with friends was just the thing to distract her
from her problems. Meeting a celebrity was a bonus.

But she never counted on attracting a stalker.

*****
Stephany Tullis:  Baby Boomer Bash
TAG LINE: Baby Boomers ONLY! No family allowed.
High
school friends Sherry Mattison and Maddy Meriweather refuse to allow their
adult children to ruin their love of Christmas and the family based traditions
that are so near and dear to their hearts. Unlike Ebenezer Scrooge and the
Grinch, they don’t decide to cancel this year’s Christmas, nor do their hearts
harden. Instead of presenting their annual plea for an extended family
Christmas like those of the good old days, the baby boomers greet their
families on Thanksgiving Day with a new attitude and a feisty festive spirit
that includes a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner: pot luck!
Their
daughters are shocked but pleased when Christmas plans are not discussed as the
family watches the Thanksgiving Day parade. Everyone is relieved that football
half time focuses on another round of desserts and no mention of drawing names
for the family Christmas gift exchange.
Sherry
and Maddy kick off their plans for their Baby Boomer Christmas celebration with
a Black Friday shopping spree. And then the thirty-day count-down begins!
Will the
boomers’ plans implode when someone blows the whistle on their European beach
vacation?

 
*****
Valerie J. Clarizio:  Jess & Sam’s Story
After twenty years, Jess returns home to care
for her ailing mother. Close proximity to the man she once loved who’d dumped
her on the very day she expected a marriage proposal reawakens her broken heart
and strengthens her vow to never put faith in a man.

By his own choice, Sam’s the most elusive bachelor in town, his walls of
defense firmly in place. But when the feisty little brunette he dated in high
school and college moves back, Sam needs to step up his game, stiffening those
walls to concrete. True love? A forever union? What kind of idiot believes in
that?

No matter which way Sam and Jess turn in their little home town, they run into
each other. And stumbling under the mistletoe isn’t what either one needs.

*****
About the Authors
Judith Lucci:
Judith
Lucci writes what she knows…..Hospitals, Patients, Physicians and Health
Care. She adds suspense and intrigue along with well developed plots, vivid
descriptions and memorable characters, and produces medical thrillers that few
readers can put down.

Dr. Lucci is the author of the Alexandra Destephano Series, a series of medical
thrillers that offer fans an escape into the busy world of a fictitious
world-class hospital in New Orleans.

Author web
links:
____________________________________________________________________________
Lilian Roberts:
Lilian
Roberts is a corporate engineer. College, and the corporate world kept Lilian’s
writing on the back burner for a few years. It wasn’t until later on in life
that she decided to sit in front of the computer and finally put her thoughts
on paper. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She is an avid reader and loves novels
that feature characters draped in passion, mystery, and adventure. She is
especially fascinated with the concept of immortality.

Lilian is the author of the Immortal Rapture series, eight paranormal,
captivating, romance novels. A young British girl Arielle Lloyd with special
gifts and an immortal man Sebastian Gaulle find their way to each other and
want nothing more than to pledge their undying love to the world. For five
centuries Sebastian has sought the one soul who can fulfill his dreams of
everlasting love. Then he meets Arielle, whose heart calls out to him like no
other.

Author web
links:
_________________________________________________________________________________
PJ Fiala:
Writing has been a desire my whole life.  Once I found the courage to write, life
changed for me in the most profound way. Bringing stories to readers that I’d
enjoy reading and creating characters that are flawed, but lovable is such a
joy.
When not writing, I’m with my family doing
something fun.  My husband, Gene, and I
are bikers and enjoy riding to new locations, meeting new people and generally
enjoying this fabulous country we live in.
I come from a family of veterans. My grandfather,
father, brother, two sons, and one daughter-in-law are all veterans. Needless
to say, I am proud to be an American and proud of the service my amazing family
has given.
Author web links:
Website:
www.pjfiala.com            
Amazon
Author Page: 
http://www.amazon.com/author/pjfiala  
_________________________________________________________________________________
Cherime MacFarlane:
Meet
Award-Winning, Best-Selling Author Cherime MacFarlane. A prolific multi-genre
author, she has a broad range of interests that reflect her been there-done
that life. Romance, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, all sorts of
characters and plots evolve from a vivid imagination.
I came to Alaska kicking and screaming in 1975, and I never want to leave. I
cut firewood on shares for money to get through the winter. I swore I would not
live above the Alaska Range because it was too cold there and wound up in the
Copper River Basin where it got just a cold as Fairbanks.
My second husband, a Scot from Glasgow, was the love of my life. When I write
Scots dialect, I experienced hearing it from my in-laws. Each time my husband
got on the phone to Scotland after five seconds, I could hardly understand a
word. I was my second husband’s chief mechanic’s helper and roadie.
I live in a cabin which is slowly being surrounded by the city and wish I were
further out. My two cats and Husky-Collie mix dog are happy in our little slice
of heaven called Alaska. In the silence of winter dreams of people and places
provide a rich pool of ideas to explore.
Author web
links:
_________________________________________________________________________________
Nicole Sorrell:
My first love was reading. From the age of ten I read
everything I could get my hands on. I was seventeen the first time I closed a
book and thought, I want to do that. Write a story that good. It took a
few years, but I finally published my first novel, joining the ranks of
contemporary fiction authors. I included everything I love in a book. It’s
a romance story, has suspense and surprise, and with book two, became a women’s
fiction series.  

 I’m still a voracious reader, currently residing in a rural area of the
mid-west. After living in various parts of the U.S. and traveling abroad, I
recently moved into the very same home where I grew up. I enjoy country living:
ours is a small community, and everyone knows everybody. The culture of the
city also draws me in: the shopping, dining, and the opera and ballet. 

I
love traveling, especially to other countries, and I speak Spanish. I earned a
Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Literature, and a Bachelor of Science in Fashion
Merchandising. Home decorating is one of my favorite things. Of course I love
to read, and I’m a published poet. I like baking pies and drinking ale.
Oh, and I like playing cornhole, and I spend way more time than I should
playing computer games.

My sidekick is a tiny Yorkshire terrier named Georgie Doodlebug. I call her
GiGi. She’s my fur baby.

Author
web links:
Angel Sefer:
Multiple
award-winning, bestselling author Angel Sefer was born in Athens, Greece and
has studied and worked on both sides of the Atlantic. She holds a degree in
Economics and divides her time between the corporate world and her true
passion: writing mystery, thriller, and suspense romances where passion flares
and danger lurks around every corner.

Angel lives in Athens, Greece, with the two loves of her life—her son and her
husband—and is a member of several writers groups.

Author web
links:
_________________________________________________________________________________
Sybil Shae:
For Love,
Real Love, The Kind Of Love That Lasts Forever….Sybil

Sitting in a chair, at a desk with headphones on, typing away…That’s where
you’ll find Sybil Shae most days. She loses track of time and reality as she
dives into her romance world, becoming one with her characters and growing with
them as they appear through words on the tablet screen in concert with the
imagery of a fool’s paradise we all visit in our dreams.
Sybil Shae writes romance, both spicy romance reads and clean reads. She feels
it, breathes it, and has built her world around it. Love is at the center of
all things. Welcome to Sybil’s world.

Sybil Shae DOES NOT write Erotica by any means, even the Spicy parts aren’t as
spicy as most others on the market. She writes with Love as the central plot
rather than adult content.

Author web
links:
_________________________________________________________________________________
P.J. MacLayne:
A computer
geek by day and a writer by night, P.J. MacLayne grew up in the rolling hills
of Pennsylvania and sets much of her writing in that landscape. She currently
lives in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains.
Author web
links:

Interview with Jake #OpenBook Blog Hop

Today I’m
interviewing Jake Hennessey, who appears in the Oak Grove Mysteries.
I ran into Jake at one of the small corner bars in Oak Grove when I
was there on other business. And I mean literally ran into him. I had
my face buried in my phone texting my mother and wasn’t watching
where I was going when I bumped into him. I knew who he was because
of my previous interview with Harmony Duprie, the main character of my Oak
Grove Mysteries. Of course, I offered to buy him a beer to replace
the one that got spilled. And to keep him company while he drank it
since he was alone. Which was surprising, because I noticed other
women in the bar eyeing him the whole time we were together.
After we got
introductions and pleasantries out of the way, and after I bought him
a second beer, I got down to business. He agreed to answer my
questions as long as I didn’t ask about any of his legal issues. I
reluctantly agreed.
Me: So is this your
night off or are you still job hunting?
Jake: It’s the
middle of the week, so I have the night off. The club I’m working for
doesn’t get enough business to justify a bouncer except on weekends.
Luckily, they let me bartend a few nights too, but when I’m not
working I like to scope out the competition.
He flashed a toothy
grin and I couldn’t help but smile back. His eyes followed a waitress
as she wandered past.
Jake: (with a wink.)
I especially like checking out the staff at the competition. The
waitresses at the club are off-limits.
Me: Your rule or
theirs?
Jake: By mutual
agreement. They’re fun to flirt with, but I wouldn’t want any of them
to think I was seriously interested in them.
Me: Is there anyone
you are interested in?
Jake: Nope. I’m
still letting my broken heart heal after being dumped by Harmony. (He
thumped his fist against his chest, and flashed his grin again. I
wasn’t sure whether to take him seriously so I switched topics.
Me: I know you’ve
traveled a lot. What is your favorite city?
Jake: San Francisco.
So many cool old houses. A lot of them have been restored, but there
are still more falling apart. I wish I had the money available to buy
a couple and fix them up.
Me: Doesn’t Oak
Grove have houses needing restored?
Jake: Sure. But the
real estate market here is slow, and there’s no guarantee I’d be able
to sell them at a profit. In San Fran, they’d get gobbled up in a
heartbeat. Besides, no one there knows my reputation and I could
start over again. Oak Grove is too small for that.
Me: So why do you
stick around?
Jake (shrugging his
shoulders) : For Harmony. She needs someone to look after her. That
girl attracts trouble like no one else I’ve ever known. Me included,
of course, but at least I’m trying to make up for it. I wish Eli was
here to take care of her, but he’s too busy down in Florida.
I notice him
studying my ring and knowing his reputation as a jewel thief, moved
my hand into my lap. He shook his head, smirked, and took a drink of
his beer.
Jake: See what I
mean? Even you do it. I can’t admire someone’s jewelry without them
getting all uptight. Nice ring, by the way. Was it passed down to
you? Looks antique.
Me: Thanks. It was
my grandmother’s. And sorry about that.
Jake: Yeah, I’m used
to it, unfortunately. By the way, you might want to ask someone to
check the setting of the opal. It looks loose. I’d hate for you to
lose the stone.
Before I asked him
how he could tell, he downed the rest of his beer and stood.
Jake: I’m headed
out. Enjoy the rest of your visit. Tell Harmony hi if you see her
again.
Then, without a
backward glance, he swaggered to the front door of the bar,  without even stopping to flirt with a waitress, and
disappeared.

The Oak Grove Mysteries are available here https://www.amazon.com/Oak-Grove-Mysteries-3-Book/dp/B072F4WBWH  or check out the My Books page of this blog.

And now that I’ve managed to offend Jake, I’m going to finish my beer and go check out the character interviews by the rest of the authors.

November 6, 2017 – Pick a character from one of your books and interview him or her.
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

An InLinkz Link-up

get the InLinkz code

“

Inspiration #OpenBook Blog Hop

In the words of an old camp song:

I love the mountains,
I love the rolling hills,
I love the flowers,
I love the daffodils,
I love the fireside,
When all the lights are low

       

Some of my earliest memories take place in the out of doors. We lived in the country, and I remember my mother telling me I could go as far as I wanted as long as I could still see the tops of the willow trees that grew alongside the house. Then the area expanded to as far as I could go and still hear her call that it was time to go home. The older I got, the larger the “safe” zone for me to explore got.

I discovered the old tree that had fallen across the nearby creek and served as a bridge. I followed the creek to the springs that bubbled out of the ground and fed it. I knew here the wild huckleberries and blackberries grew.

I stood quietly and admired the ancient buck I came across until he got tired of me and walked away. I tracked the path of a field mouse in the first winter snow. I sat by the edge of a remote pond and watched the tadpoles at play.

It should come as no surprise that I draw inspiration for my writing from nature. Not only do I try to write outdoor scenes into my stories, I find I’m most creative when I get a “fix” from nature. Going for a walk, or driving down a mountain road, or just sitting in my back yard and soaking in the sun.

Even when I can’t get away, I bring nature to me. My screensaver is a rolling compilation of my favorite nature photos—mountains, flowers, rocks, trees, and combinations of all of these.

So what inspires you? Feel free to share in the comments. In the meantime, I’m going to go find out what inspired the others on this hop.

October 30, 2017 – Inspiration. Where do you get your inspiration for writing? When you’re running low on ideas or creative flow, how do you get your inspiration back?
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

An InLinkz Link-up:

get the InLinkz code

“

How To Go For A Walk #OpenBook Blog Hop

There’s lots of advice on walking on the intranet.Walking fast vs. slow. How far to go. What to wear. How to get in the most steps for your fitness device. Don’t bother googling it, because I am going to tell you how to break the rules.

Start by finding your most comfortable shoes. They don’t have to be fancy or expensive or a certain manufacturer. You just want to be able to get home without blisters.

Dress for the weather. Coat, no coat, pants or shorts, tank top or sweatshirt. That’s going to change day by day. If you’re going into the woods (we’ll get to that) take bug spray.

Ready? Not until you’ve turned off your cell phone. (Or at least turned down the volume.) Leave your MP3 player by the computer. You don’t need it.

Now, where are you going? Around the block? Out to the back 40? Maybe to the park down the way? it doesn’t matter. Take a deep breath and walk out the door, locking it behind you if necessary. When you get outside, stop for a minute. Look up at the sky. Is it sunny or are the stars out? Take another deep breath, and this time smell the world. Is the neighbor barbecuing or is that the smell of falling leaves. All that’s left is to move one foot in front of another.

It doesn’t matter if you go slow of fast. This isn’t about where you are going or how quickly you get there. It’s about the journey. At the house down the street, stop and admire the potted flowers on the windowsill. Or watch the red-tailed hawk circling overhead. Or savor the smell of salt drifting in from the ocean.

Don’t let the blaring of car horns distract you from your task. Did I forget to mention that you have something to accomplish? A little nothing, really. I want you to daydream. When was the last time you did that? So feel free to take a break and sit on a big rock or park bench for a few minutes.

Then keep putting one foot in front of the other. You’re getting there. Wherever ‘there’ is. Remember, there’s no deadline. You can stop whenever you want to look around. See all those things you’ve never noticed before even if you’ve been by there five times before. Maybe it’s the dew on a spider web sparkling in the early morning sun. Or the way the clouds drift behind that skyscraper. Or the way that noisy little mutt’s body quivers with excitement when you pet him.

Listen to the world around you. Smile at the people passing by. Watch the children play. Take your time and really see the world around you. There’s beauty there.

Remember the words of the greats, Simon & Garfunkel:

“The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)”

Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feelin’ groovy
Ba da da da da da da, feelin’ groovy

Hello, lamppost, what’cha knowin’?
I’ve come to watch your flowers growin’
Ain’t’cha got no rhymes for me?
Doot-in doo-doo, feelin’ groovy
Ba da da da da da da, feelin’ groovy

I got no deeds to do
No promises to keep
I’m dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me
Life, I love you
All is groovy

And that’s how to take a walk.

Let’s find out what the other authors are sharing by following the links below.

October 23, 2017 – How to post. Pick something and explain how to do it. It can be writing related, craft related, garden related – just share how you do it.
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

An InLinkz Link-up:

get the InLinkz code

Wolves’ Knight Book Hooks


From Wolves’ Knight, Book 2 of the Free Wolves series. On sale for 99¢ for a short time.

     The wind picked up and a gust almost covered the sound. Tasha’s ears pricked forward at the shuffle of footsteps. A figure inched along the side of the building, stopping at a window. Tasha tightened her muscles, but didn’t move.
     Then he went on. Tasha was positive it was a male although the wind blew the wrong direction for her to catch his scent. Not even her tail twitched as he stopped at another window. Her ears caught the sound of him tapping on the glass. He moved again.
     The third window sat in a pool of darkness. But Tasha’s eyes watched as he raised the window. He grasped the window frame and started to lift himself inside.

      And Tasha exploded into a snarling mass of muscle and fangs.



Blurb: 
Tasha Roeper knows what it means to protect your own. So when her friend, Dot Lapahie, CEO of Lapahie Enterprises, suspects that the Free Wolves are under attack, Tasha immediately signs on to lead the investigation and guard Dot.
But Tasha’s not convinced it’s the Free Wolves that are the target. She fears that her own pack—the Fairwood Pack—are the actual quarry and Dot is only a decoy.
The deeper Tasha digs, the more puzzles she uncovers.
Torn between tradition and a changing world, will Tasha risk everything to save a friend—including her own life—when old enemies arise?
Buy Links

Things to Change in my Industry #OpenBook Blog Hop

People hate computers. Come on, admit it. There a necessary nuisance as far as you’re concerned.

So when I mention I’m in IT, you roll your eyes and say “Better you than me.” Or something like that. Right?

Here’s the thing. Me and machines don’t get along. At least we didn’t. I can cause a radio to go all static-y by just walking in the room. But me and computers? Different story.

Now, I’m not an expert in all things computer. But I’m definitely above average. Not bad for someone who didn’t touch their first computer until she was over 30 years old.

Thing is, I’m not afraid of them. Just like I know how to break them, (and I have broken a few)  I know how to fix them. To me, it’s fun It’s the logical side of my brain analyzing a problem and figuring out how to resolve it.

So what would I change about my industry? Same thing as I do on a regular basis. Help the end user understand what how they can use all that power at their fingertips. I don’t expect everyone to be able to open a computer case and understand all the bits and pieces inside, but they should be able to make an effort to understand the programs they use on a regular basis. For example, they don’t have to hit Caps Lock to make a capitol letter, that’s what  the shift key is for.

Is it scary? Sure, at first. But, as in many things,  too many people aren’t even willing to try.And that’s what I would change.

Let’s find out what our other authors would change by following the links below.

October 16, 2017 – Things you want to see change in your industry.
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

An InLinkz Link-up

get the InLinkz code

“

Business Resources #OpenBook Blog Hop

Thank heavens for the internet. When I started this process of being a writer, I relied on magazines as a source of information. Anyone still subscribe to Writer’s Digest? Or Coda? (now Poets & Writers)

That was back in my poetry writing days, and they were a lifeline. Inspiring articles, success stories of other writers, lists of potential markets. All things I would have never found  on my own.

Then I started writing books and everything changed. The list of literary magazines I haunted on a regular basis held no value anymore. I needed a list of agents and instructions on the proper way to type up a manuscript. At least that’s what I thought.

Then I signed up for my first writer’s newsgroup through Yahoo. I thought I might get some tips on writing as well as information on how to submit a query. What I got was so much more.

I’d vaguely been aware of ebooks, but hadn’t seen one. I still made my weekly or so trips to the library to get my reading materials. The first few electronic books I downloaded were enjoyable reading, but I missed the feel of paper in my hands. (And still do!)

When the first discussions of indie publishing came to my attention, I followed them with curiosity. Then interest. I could publish my books without an agent or a publisher? I didn’t have to
change my stories to fit someone else’s boring standards?

Eventually I discovered other writers on Facebook. And on-line critique groups. And sites where you can check your work for spelling and grammatical errors. And free blogging sites (Like this one! Thanks, blogger!) And so on and so on.

So thanks, internet, you’ve been a great help.

*****

Here’s a few links a starting author might be interesting in.


prowritingaid.com/Free-Editing-Software.aspx

https://www.grammarly.com

http://www.critiquecircle.com/default.asp

Now let’s go find out what everyone is using!

“October 9, 2017 – My favorite business resources.
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

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Favorite Charity #OpenBook Blog Hop

I suppose some people wouldn’t consider my favorite charity as a charity at all. They consider it more of a club, but it couldn’t exist without contributions from lots of people.

I grew up wearing brown and then green with this organization. As a teen, I spent summers as both a volunteer and a paid employee working for this group. I was lucky enough to be able to move on to being an adult volunteer first and a paid employee later.

It was with this group that I learned my love of nature. The trees, the hills, the sun and the rain. I learned how to build fires and how to put them out. I hiked trails and helped build them where none existed.
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I learned self-reliance and child care and how to manage money. Through this organization, I got to  explore cities and places where I’d never traveled before.I got to have relationships with adults that weren’t my parents and be more of an adult myself. And yes, I sold cookies.

It was on a camping trip with this group that I first decided I wanted to grow my hair long. One of the adults on the trip-another girl’s grandmother- always wore her hair in a braid that was wrapped into a bun. Very old fashioned. But one morning she took it down to comb it out and it was the longest, most beautiful silver hair I’d every seen. I’ll have hair like that some day.

So here’s to the Girl Scouts. Still my favorite charity. I know they’ve been having some tough times lately, but I hope they stick around for years to come.

Now let’s go find out what charities the other authors like.

October 2, 2017 – Talk about your favorite charity and why it’s your favorite?
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

An InLinkz Link-up

get the InLinkz code

Business Lessons for Writers #OpenBook Blog Hop

I don’t claim to be the most business-savvy author you’ll ever meet. In fact, I’m still learning. But the toughest lesson I’ve learned is that it takes money to make money.

For the most part (and there are rare exceptions) writing a good book isn’t enough to make you successful. There are lots of good books out there, and it’s tough to get noticed in the crowd. You can try all the free sites in the world and sell a few books, but that won’t support your writing habit.

Then there are other places that charge varying degrees of money to publicize your book for you. Usually the price of their advertising matches the size of their audience. The bigger the number of their followers, the more money you have you spend to get listed with them. But there’s a reason that authors buy promotions with those sites—they sell books!

I’m not going to give you a comprehensive list of sites that will publicize your books. A quick search on the internet will give you that information. Two moderately priced ones I had good luck with are E-Reader News Today and Robin Reads. Each costs around $50 to promote a book in the mystery genre.

There are also services that will send out tweets to their followers and others that will post to groups on Facebook for you. Some offer to promote your book across a wide range of social media. What you do depends on how you want to reach your target audience.

So if I had to start over, I’d make sure I had a “bank” to use for paid promotion services. I know it may seem unnecessary after sinking money into editing, formatting and a professional cover, but it’s worth it.

And that’s my 2¢ worth. Now I’m off to learn from my fellow authors!

September 25, 2017 – Tell us your biggest business lesson learned. If you were to start your writing career all over again, what would you do differently?
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

An InLinkz Link-up

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Cover Reveal #EnforcerSeries

I’m tickled to help out a friend with her cover reveal today.It’s her next book in the Enforcer series.

Ryleigh, take it away!

Reveal Date: 9/19/2017
Blurb:
She was too broken and I couldn’t save her.

I’ve survived multiple deployments to places that just hearing the name makes people cringe. I think nothing of attempting to save lives when they have the most impossible injuries, all while sustaining my own wounds. I’m a medic, a healer, a helper, a fixer. I must do this to conceal my dark, scarred, broken soul. I loved her beyond reason even though I knew I could never have her.

Now I’m dragging myself back to the light, the land of the living with the help of my friends.I need to find her. The one who will be my rock. My heart. But to find her, I have one more battle to fight.

This one will be the most difficult yet.

Links:
https://twitter.com/ryleigh_rhodes
https://www.facebook.com/RhodesRyleighAuthor/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35431235-j

Photographer: Kruse Images and Photography – https://www.facebook.com/KIPmodelsandboudoir/
Cover Artist: Rebel Edit and Design – https://www.facebook.com/rebeleditdesign/

Hashtags:
#AuthorRyleighRhodes #EnforcerSeries