The Rollercoaster

So, as you know, I’ve been absent.  A lot.  Couldn’t be helped really. The past couple months have been a rollercoaster of highs and lows.  First, my dad passed away less than two weeks ago.  With his health as poor as it was, his passing was a blessing of sorts, but that doesn’t make it any easier, especially since we didn’t have the greatest relationship near the end.  He was a very difficult man.  But he’s my dad; I love him regardless, and I’m gonna miss him.  A lot.

But the bad was tempered with a bit of good. A few months ago, I mentioned that my debut, The Mistaken, had been nominated for four, then finaled for three, 2014 eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook Awards. Well, turns out, yesterday, it WON two of those awards—Best Thriller & Best Audiobook!  I found this out not ten minutes before I picked up my father’s ashes.  I’d like to think there was some magic at work there.

But I wasn’t the only winner.  While you can watch the video presentation of all the winners here, and I had many other friends in nearly every single category, I would like to give a special shout out to my Blogger buddies who won or were runners-up:

Lisa Regan - Aberration - "I've Been Shyamalaned" Award (tied for Best Twist)

Michael J. Infinito Jr. - In Blog We Trust - "I've Been Shyamalaned" Award (tied for Best Twist) & - 12:19  - Runner-up Best Horror

Carrie Butler - Strength - Best New Adult & Best Series (Mark of Nexus)

Alex J. Cavanaugh - CassaStorm - Best Science Fiction

Cassie Mae - Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend - Runner-up The Harvey Award  

Congrats to every one of you fabulous authors! 

And now to wrap it all up, I decided to play filmmaker last week.  I put together a little book trailer for my second novel, Leverage, book 2 in The Mistaken Series. Take a looksee, and give it a thumbs up if you like it.  Thanks!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE!

IWSG - The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else

It’s the first Wednesday of the month, time for

Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

I’ve been quite remiss for the last month or so, only dropping in for the IWSG when I clearly announced my return from a much-prolonged hiatus.  Seems habits are hard to break.  It’s more than that though.  It’s been rough for me lately.  Personal stuff.  My dad.  He has Alzheimer’s and had to be admitted to a care facility.  It’s for the best, especially for my mom, and I thought, hey, he deserves it; he’s treated everyone in his life like crap for as long as I can remember.  But…yeah…easier said than done.  My heart isn’t quite as hard as I thought it was.  Then bad went to worse, and he was hospitalized yesterday.  They think it’s a stroke.  Whatever it is, just like everything else, it’s not a solvable problem.  There’s no happily ever after to this story. 

And yet, every nugget of misery seems accompanied by a hint of happiness.  While I struggled with with my dad, I had some really good news come in.  My debut dark romantic thriller, The Mistaken, became a three-category finalist (best hero-heroine, best thriller, and best audiobook) in the eFestival of Words 2014 Best of the Independent eBook Awards.  It had to pass the peer nominations stage to get there, but now that it’s a finalist, it’s all up to public voting. 

And while you might have never heard of these awards before, winning, or even coming in second, can be very impactful.  My BFF, Lisa Regan, won in 2013 for Best Heroine and was the runner-up for Best Novel for her debut, Finding Claire Fletcher, and it’s gone on to be very successful, and Lisa now has a contract with Amazon Publishing’s Thomas and Mercer imprint.  This year, Lisa’s follow-up, Aberration, is a multi-category finalist, including Best Thriller, Best Villain, and I’ve Been Shameylaned (best twist).  How’s that for impressive? 

So I’m hopeful. Maybe something will come of this for me.  I could really, really REALLY use your help though.  The registration is a tad convoluted, not too bad, but the voting is super easy.  I’ll leave easy-to-follow instructions at the end to assist you should you want to vote.  Either way, I have a LOT of friends who’ve also finaled, many of whom you’ve heard of, like…

Alex J. Cavanaugh, Best Science Fiction, CassaStorm

Cassie Mae, Best YA & The Harvey Award, Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat friend

Michelle Kemper Brownlow, Best NA & Best Villain, In Too Deep

Michael Infinito, Best Horror, 12;19 & I’ve Been Shameylaned, In Blog We Trust

Carrie Butler, Best Series, The Nexus Series, & Best NA, Strength

And some you might not have heard of, but should definitely check out, like…

MK Harkins, Best NA, Best Sweet Romance, & Best Villain, Intentional

Julie A Richman, Best Romance, Searching for Moore

JB Hartnett, Best Erotica, Inky

Kristine Cayne, The Harvey Award, Deadly Addiction

Dana Mason, Best Romance & Best Mystery/Suspense, Dangerous Embrace & Best Hero, Precious Embrace

And before you think anyone has any category wrapped up, think again.  We’ve got two long months of public voting to endure, so each and every vote helps every single one of us.  I know I’d appreciate your vote if you have a moment.  Thanks in advance for your support!

Instructions to register and vote:

1. Go to: eFestival of Words.com

2. Click ‘Register’ and fill out the form.

3. Confirm your account: To pass validation, click on the survey question (typically a benign question about your car or income,) then type the revealed, easy CAPTCHA into ‘Your answer’.

4. Ignore the sponsor offers and click ‘Submit’. You are now registered and may login

5. After logging in, click best thriller  

6. Select 'The Mistaken, by Nancy S. Thompson’ then click 'Submit vote'. You’ll receive a confirmation.

7. Repeat for best audiobook & best hero-heroine

IWSG: OY!

It’s the first Wednesday of the month.

Time for Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

So, yeah, I forgot to post my IWSG piece.  Or almost forgot.  I remembered this morning.  But, UGH!  I just can’t seem to get with the program after a lengthy hiatus.  Now, in my defense, I did go through another health scare this week, just on Monday, in fact, but the biopsy came back clear yesterday afternoon, so I have no real excuse, except to say I was a bit preoccupied.  So here’s my problem…

How do you all do it?  How do you manage to write the great American novel, publish, market, work, attend your family, AND blog?  No matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to fit it all in.  I keep reminders on my phone, but I usually end up just moving the reminder closer and closer to the actual event until I miss it altogether. 

I attended an event last night in Seattle with my dear friend, Jennifer Hillier.  It was a bust, basically a sales pitch by Amazon on self-publishing, which annoyed me since I knew it all already because I just self-pubbed my second book a month ago. But I didn’t mind.  I got to spend some quality girl time with my girl, Jenny.  I was supposed to write my IWSG post when I got home though.  And I didn’t.  It slipped through.  Again. 

My life has changed so much in the last year or so.  I’ve learned a lot and met many awesome people, but I really miss my homies in Bloggyland.  I’m trying hard to get back in the groove.  I’m hitting most of my targets.  And yet, I still missed this one.  It’s aggravating.  It’s disappointing.  It’s embarrassing.  And I apologize for not properly prioritizing.

By the way, my debut, The Mistaken, will be on sale for 99 cents starting tomorrow, June 5^th, and running through June 10^th.  So go pick yourself up a cheap thrill ride!

IWSG - I'm BAAA-AAAACK!

It’s the first Wednesday of the month, time for
Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group!

Wow, it’s been so long, and I’ve missed you all SO much during my rather lengthy hiatus, but it was unavoidable and proved to be very valuable time spent.  The biggest news to come out of my prolonged absence?  

I published my second novel!

Now, this was no easy feat. Once I signed with a small press for my first title, The Mistaken, I was excited to get started on the sequel. Unfortunately, the stars don’t often align and I was disappointed when my publisher closed to all submissions due to the tough economy. That sidetracked me on many levels. I had to take up ALL the slack on promoting my first book while trying to focus on finishing the second, another dark romantic thriller called Leverage. And since it’s a sequel, trying to sell it to another publisher seemed unlikely, so I jumped into the indie pool and self-published Leverage. 

Of course, that’s no easy task when you’re a novice with no extra money. At least, as an editor myself, I knew that aspect was pretty much under control, though I did have an editor friend of mine give it a once over. But I had to do all the formatting myself. Now, for the paperback, it was no problem, but the ebook was something else altogether. I didn’t want to just put my baby through a grinder. I wanted it properly indexed and validated across all venues, so doing all that code stuff was a tad daunting.

Next, the cover! I had commissioned original artwork, but the timing didn’t work out, so I went the stock photo route and prayed Carrie Butler at Forward Authority Design Services could help me out, and boy did she ever! Just look at this puppy! Obviously, this is the paperback cover. The ebook consists of the front portion only.

Isn't it Purty?!!

I seriously couldn’t be happier. Carrie Butler produced exactly what I asked for and in record time, which was important because, while I had said I would launch May 20^th so it would coincide with my first blog tour, I needed to release on Amazon Kindle by May 1^st if I wanted to enter Kindle Book Review’s 2014 Best Kindle Book Awards. And WHEW, I made it!

While I do have to spend some time this week listing it on Kobo and Barnes & Noble, I feel pretty good. The early reviews are outstanding and, so far, I have a perfect 5-star rating on Amazon.  Even The Mistaken still rates 4.6 stars on 115 reviews. I’m doing okay and look forward to my first tour in a few weeks. And hey, if you’re interested in joining the tour, Book Plug Promotions has prepared this Google Doc for sign-ups. I hope it’s still open, but I’m not entirely sure. I do have another coming up August, so if you’re interested in that one, contact Nazarea Andrews at Inkslinger PR. 

Okay, you might be wondering what my point is here. Well, as I’ve lamented here before, I find all this publishing stuff, especially the marketing, immensely intimidating, but, with the help of my, many of whom I’ve met here, I’ve more than just muddled through. I still have a long way to go, but, geez, if I can do it, anyone can!

IWSG: Success!

It’s the first…er…second Wednesday of the month.

Time for Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It’s been a very busy time for me lately.  I finally finished my second book, Leverage, the sequel to my first, The Mistaken, and I  must say, even though I haven’t gotten a whole lot back yet from my CPs (it’s only been a couple days after all), I do feel pretty good about it.  What they have said is they can’t put it down, so I’m feeling pretty solid.  No rookie mistakes this time around.  And where most of my reviewers called The Mistaken a rollercoaster, Leverage is  more of an amped-on-steroids rocket ride. 

Speaking of The Mistaken, November was a rather dreary month for sales.  Most all of my author friends had the same complaint, so I felt in good company.  But I decided it was time for a shot to the arm, so I placed it on sale for 99¢ for five days in early December to celebrate turning 50. 

Prior to that, I’d applied for a very expensive BookBub ad to run on the 4^th day of my sale and was accepted, but it was well worth the price.  The Mistaken went as low as #87 overall out of all Amazon Kindle ebooks.  I made several bestseller and top-rated lists and have managed to hold on to two of them so far.  And while it’s slowly creeping back up in rank, it’s still in a nice, comfortable range, so mission accomplished! 

Also very exciting, The Mistaken audiobook was finally released by Cherry Hill Publishing and can now be found on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. 

My point to all this?  Well, in this rather sucky business of publishing, it’s always an uphill battle and can be downright depressing at times.  But don’t give up.  Figure out how to deal with it and move forward.  There are a lot people out there in the same boat or who’ve experienced the same thing and have managed to pull through it.  Ask them for advice.  I bet they’d be only too willing to help out.  That’s how I was able to experience success last month.  I’ve found that all of my author friends are very Pay-It-Forward people.  It’s how we stay sane in an industry that will eat you alive if you’re not willing to play. 

IWSG: Holding On

It’s the first Wednesday of the month.

Time for Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

When times get tough, I latch on to the smallest of things to help me through, to make me feel better until things actually get better.  That’s the way it’s been for the last three weeks or so.  Sales are sluggish to the point of being non-existent at times.  It’s hard to remain optimistic when I see that everyday.

But amidst it all, there is always something that seems to brighten even the darkest of my professional days.  Yes, sales are lagging recently, but I just got word that my audiobook will be launched the week of Christmas.  It will go on sale first at Cherry Hill Publishing then go live on Amazon right after that, then on to Audible and iTunes shortly thereafter.  Seriously, I can’t express how exciting that is for me.  In fact, you can sample the audiotrailer here if you’re interested.

And while, being traditionally published, I don’t have much control over my own book, my publisher has agreed to a 99¢ sale on The Mistaken from December 6^th through the 9th, so I’m optimistic things will improve on that front.

To top it all off, tomorrow, December 5^th, is my birthday, but not just any birthday.  It’s my 50^th.  A half century.  A whole new demographic.  I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, if I should party or cry, but I can tell you, my friends and family have already or are planning to make tomorrow a very special day.  What more could I possibly ask for?   

Oh, yeah, one last thing, if you're interested, I'll be over at Dauntless tomorrow, December 5th with a post on The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the publishing business, so stop on by and say hi!  

THE MISTAKEN 99 Cent Sale and Giveaway!

It’s finally here…the 99 Cent Sale for my romantic thriller,

The Mistaken,

on Amazon US, Amazon UK, and Barnes and Noble!

This sale is for a limited time and runs from now until July 16^th 12:00a. PDT.

I’m also running a giveaway!

Enter below for a chance to win a $10 gift card from either Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winner’s choice).

There are several ways to increase your chances, so enter NOW! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Cover Reveal, a New Author Page, a Sale, and Some REALLY Cool News!

Present Perfect

by

Alison G. Bailey

Release Date: August 6, 2013

New Adult Contemporary Romance

Cover by Robin Harper of Wicked by Design

Synopsis:

Amanda Kelly spent her entire life trying to control every aspect of it, while striving for perfection. Her obsession with being perfect, along with her feelings of worthlessness, consumed her. The one thing she thought was perfect in her life was the bond she shared with her best friend, Noah.

Everything was going according to her life plan until she woke up one day and realized she had fallen in love with him. The one thing she couldn’t control was the affect he had on her. Noah had the power to give her one hundred lifetimes of happiness, which also gave him the power to completely devastate her. He was the one thing in her life that was perfect, but she couldn't allow herself to have him.

Her life begins to unravel. Events take over and force her to let go of her dreams and desires. She needs to realize that a person cannot control the events in their life, only their reaction to them...but will it be too late for her to save her relationship with her best friend? Present Perfect is a story of how past events have present consequences and how perfect your present could be if you stopped fighting and just allowed it to happen.

Alison's dream cast!

Find Present Perfect on:

Goodreads  Pinterest  Spotify  Blog

Alison G. Bailey, Author

Bio:

Alison was born and raised in Charleston, SC. As a child she used her imagination to write additional scenes to TV shows and movies that she watched. She attended Winthrop University and graduating with a BA in Theater. While at Winthrop she began writing one act plays which she later produced. Throughout the years she continued writing and producing several one act plays, but then life got in the way and she hung up her pen for a while. On the advice of a friend, she started writing again. In January 2013, Alison sat down at her computer and began writing her first novel, Present Perfect.

Alison lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband, Jef, and their two furry children (dogs).  She’s addicted to Diet Pepsi and anything with sugar.

Alison's philosophy: Don't let your obstacles define you, let them refine you. At times life can get pretty overwhelming, but with a great support system and a lot of humor you can get through it. If you have humor in your life your spirit stays strong and you can tackle anything.

Find Alison on:

Facebook  Goodreads  Twitter  Blog

Promotion by:

Stacy Bailey Darnell

Literary Mania Reviews

Like LMR on Facebook

____________

Starting NOW, I'm running a week-long special promotion.  The ebook version of my debut romantic thriller, The Mistaken, will be on sale for 99 cents on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!
That's 75% off!

PLUS...during my sale (if I can figure out how to use Rafflecopter),
I will hold a GIVEAWAY for a $10 gift card for Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winners choice).

I'd love if you'd consider helping me spread the word.

So grab my badge, compliments of the talented Carrie Butler,
and post it to Facebook, Twitter, or your blog.   

AND CHECK THIS OUT...

After much arm-wrangling and cajoling by many of my author friends,

I finally agreed to start my own author page on Facebook. 

And so now, I humbly beg, if you're on Facebook,

could you do a gal a favor and please, please, please go here and

Thank you!!!!

OH AND ONE LAST THING...

I went online to the King County Library System's website and found this...

Yes, that's my book, The Mistaken, on order,
sans cover art since they haven't received it yet.

But still, I cannot tell you how excited I am by this, because the KCLS doesn't ordinarily stock titles that have not been reviewed by Kirkus, the NY Times, or the Library Journal, yet there it is, on order and soon to be stocked on the shelves of Washington's most popular library system.  

And oh, by the way, in a few months time, it actually WILL be reviewed by the LJ!  

How cool is THAT?!

GIVEAWAY!

No, I'm still on hiatus, but I wanted to share a little something.  

An Alleged Author

is holding a GIVEAWAY!

Just hop on over to her blog and comment on this post and

you will automatically be entered to win a FREE

PRINT or Ebook copy of

The Mistaken!

How easy is that?!!

IWSG: Blazing a New Trail and Meeting a New Friend!

It’s the first Wednesday of the month.

Time for Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

This last month has been a mixed bag for me.  Some ups.  Some downs.  It all levels out in the end.  At least, I hope it will.  My worst bit of news is something I can’t really share, not without possibly hurting those who’ve been good to me thus far, even if I now find myself in a big, dark, black hole of insecurity. 

What I can share is that I sold the audio rights to my novel, The Mistaken, to Cherry Hill Publishing.  Just look, The Mistaken has been added to their website's homepage as “In Development”. 

Pretty cool, right?  Now, I’ve never listened to an audio book before.  But then again, I’d never read an ebook before I was published either. 

Anyway, before signing, I found out a few interesting facts about CHP.  In the past, their catalog has consisted primarily of public domain titles—think Moby Dick, War of the Worlds and Pride and Prejudice.  Because of this, they have 100% coverage of the US public library market.  That’s huge!  100%! 

Now, CHP is venturing into the world of private titles, such as my own.  Besides physical forms (CD), they distribute electronically via Audible and iTunes, where most people purchase from these days.  Best of all, out of the blue, this publisher came to me, instead of me querying them.  That was very gratifying, let me tell you, and definitely helped relieve some of my insecurity.

So now, in 7 or 8 months, barring any problems, I should have an audiobook version available of The Mistaken!  That’s very exciting to me and helps make up for the rather devastating news I received a couple weeks ago.  Like I said, it all kind of levels out.

In addition to that good news, I got to meet one of my online bloggy buddies & Facebook friends.  None other than the vivacious Tammy Theriault!  We’d been emailing and FB messaging and texting a lot lately, and have grown to be good friends, though only virtually, as in the Internet, even though we only live about an hour or so apart, something I only recently discovered.

Well, on Saturday, I noticed Tammy had posted a picture of a Bellevue, WA landmark on her Facebook page, so I suspected she was very near my home.  I commented on her photo, and the next thing I knew, like an hour later, we were having lunch together at Outback! 

And you know what, we clicked.  Just like that.  Very natural.  Very easy.  Very comfortable.  I had a blast!  My only regret was that she had to run home after only 90 minutes—long drive and all.  But I’m thrilled to have met in person yet another “virtual” friend, and another writer, not to mention one so genuinely sweet and terribly funny!

That’s just the kind of fuel I need to get me through those insecure days.

Happy June, you guys!

Laura Eno's Cover Reveal for JEWEL OF SHAYLAR, plus Carrie Butler's STRENGTH Paperback is Out, and a Quick Note

Today, it’s my pleasure to share another cover reveal,

this time for Laura Eno’s

Jewel of Shaylar. 

 

Wicked beautiful, isn’t it?

Here’s the skinny: 

Archaeologist David Alexander investigates the cave where his father disappeared and hurtles into another world, one filled with magic and bizarre creatures. The mad ravings in his father's journals of icemen and dragons may not be fantasies after all.

Convinced his father may still be alive, David begins a treacherous journey to find him and discover a way home. Along the way, he encounters a few unlikely friends. A Dreean warrior, a beautiful thief and a satyr join him as he searches.

David's arrival into this new world sets off an explosive chain reaction of events. Faced with powerful adversaries and few clues, he may not get the chance to rescue his father before disaster strikes, condemning both of them to death. Or worse.

Find Laura on: Website - Blog - Facebook - Twitter – Goodreads

_________

Sorry for today’s super short post.  What am I saying?  You must be thrilled! 

I won’t be around the blogosphere much for the next few weeks while I pound out the first draft of my next book.  It’s called Leverage and will be the sequel to The Mistaken.

By the way, if you happened to have read The Mistaken and liked it, I could really use a review on Amazon and Goodreads.  Some readers do one and not the other.  A review on Amazon is the most helpful for sales.  Thanks for your consideration! 

Next week is my pub sister, Carrie Butler’s big launch for her book Strength, but the paperback is available now here on Amazon for $15.99 or here on Barnes & Noble for $10.34.  The ebook will be available everywhere on March 7^th and I’ll have her here for an interesting guest post on March 11^th.   

Thanks for dropping by.  Have a great week!

My 200th Post!

Today is my 200^th post!

I remember when I started blogging 2 years ago, how I had no followers, no one who was interested in a thing I had to say, nobody I’d connected with.  I was just a newbie writer with an untidy manuscript, big dreams, and very little knowledge.

Today, I’ve achieved my dream of being traditionally published and  have managed to learn way more than I thought possible, I have 1000 folks a week who are interested enough to drop by (though I’ve no idea why), I have a combined 572 followers but have connected with thousands of others, mostly writers and authors. 

I definitely feel like I’ve accomplished something.  And if nothing else, I’ve made some meaningful friendships, some which go beyond this blog.

Still, after the Re-introduce Myself Blogfest, I had quite a few people say they wished I’d shared more personal information.  Well, I’m not adverse to that, so here are a few tidbits you might not know:

• I just had my first live radio interview last Saturday on LA Talk Radio.  You can listen to it using the tab at the top of my blog or by clicking here.  I had a good time and no one could ever accuse me of not having anything to say!

• I love to watch TV (Revenge, Scandal, Suits.)  My guilty pleasure is Spartacus.  I hate all sitcoms except Modern Family.

• I play classical piano.

• I’ve spent the last 25 years raising sled dogs (Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes.)

• I first met my husband 31 years ago when he was 15 and I was 17.  When we got together a year later, it was a huge scandal. 

• We have a 28-year-old daughter who was adopted privately (you can read more about that here,) and an 18-year-old son, now in college. 

• I taught my son to read before he turned 3 years old.

• I’ve lived all over the US:  Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Colorado Springs, Waikiki, the Bay Area, and Seattle’s Eastside.

• I’m an interior designer, but I don’t decorate.  I work on the technical side, using CADD to produce working drawings and construction documents.  I’m also an architect.

• I used to sing competitively.

• I’m the classic Catholic combination of half Irish and half Italian, so don’t piss me off!

• I have OCD with “pathologic grooming behaviors” and an obsession with even numbers.

• I love fast high-performance sports cars, BMWs mostly

• I seem to get along with men much better than with women.

• I love to ski but am too afraid after busting my ankle up years ago.

• The Mistaken just listed at #79 on Amazon’s Top Rated in Romantic Suspense based on customer reviews!   Check it out!  

After 5+ years, I’m finally starting to get back on my feet financially, but, with a kid in college, I still don’t have the disposable income to give away Amazon gift cards.  I can, however, give away free copies of my ebook as a way of celebrating my 200^th post. 

So, if you’re interested, let me know in the comments below before midnight 2/25, and I’ll enter your name into a raffle. Using Random.org, I’ll pick 5 interested winners and post their names next week.

And thanks for your support over the last 2+ years and 200 posts!

Two more quick notes:

I’m always looking for bloggers to review The Mistaken. If you’re a blogger or book reviewer, there are still a few slots open at the end of March for my Partners In Crime Book Tour.  This is a popular book tour company, so if you’re looking for a little exposure for your blog, feel free to sign up using the link above or by emailing Gina@PartnersInCrimeTours.net.  She’ll send you a free copy of my book and ask you to choose a date to post a review. 

Lastly, it’s time for another W4WS (Writers for Writers) campaign.  This month’s featured authors are Gwen Gardner and Melissa Bradley.  Drop by their blogs today or tomorrow, grab a tweet or two, and post them to your Twitter account with the #W4WS hashtag, and help make readers aware of their books by sharing their links.