_ Your Favourite Authors & How to Support Them!

Good day! Welcome back after a well-deserved short break! I thought I’d write a fun post especially for all those lucky people who received a new Kindle for Christmas. Now you need to practice using your Kindle, by buying some great books and for this you need to support your favourite author!

So here’s ten easy things to do:

1.  Buy their books!

Your number one priority! But did you know that because “indie” authors are independent from traditional big publishing houses, they can control the prices of their eBooks?  Moreover, while big-house publishers have a large corporation to support, the indie author, who essentially becomes his own publisher, is free to offer amazing deals. Often books can be as low as $.99/£0.85! Fab! Amazing! I hear you declare! Let me get at them!

 2.  Spread the word!

If you like something, you want to tell others, correct? It’s one of the favourite things we like to talk about.  We all love a “good deal,” a “great product”, something that actually does what it’s supposed to do, and this includes an entertaining book we’ve just read.  Because my friends all talk about what they read, I’ve been introduced to authors I might never have read before–and that includes all genres. Can you imagine the indie author’s struggle to get noticed in the flood of more than 300,900 books published annually? I believe there are now over 900,000 books on Amazon alone!  But telling friends doesn’t end there.

3.  “Like” the book!

There’s a “Like” button to click on right beside the title on the author’s book page on Amazon.com, indeed all Amazon sites have this next to the book.  Maybe you “like” the book because you’ve read it and thoroughly enjoyed your experience.   Maybe you “like” the title, synopsis or the cover. Or maybe you just really “like” the pizzazz this author shows by actually writing a book and asserting their right to sharing their work, whether or not they are supported by a big-house publisher.

 4.  Share your opinion!

After you click “Like,” you’ll get a prompt to share with others: “tweet,” “Facebook,” or “email.”  This is a jolly clever way to help both readers and authors when you think about it. How many times have you wanted to share a title of a favourite book with someone and didn’t actually get it “spot on?” By extending your “Like” through those channels, the recipient sees exactly which book you’re talking about.

5.  Click their “tags!”

I know loads of readers who have no idea what ‘tags’ are, (including my husband!) ‘Tags’ are what the author has selected to describe their book for Internet searches. Say for instance you want a book that is fiction, which includes mystery, specifically thrillers. You might type into the search bar these tags: books, fiction, mystery, suspense, and thrillers, and even women sleuths.  The results you get will include books with these tags.  The more frequently an author’s book is tagged, the greater number of clicks per tag, does something magical to their book’s ranking. Tags are found near the bottom and have little boxes to tick.  Check the ones you agree with and even add some more if you feel it warrants it, but don’t check the “Agree with all tags” because it does not affect the author’s ratings–something about Amazon’s algorithms…

 6.  Keep on clicking! 

There is even an Amazon promo Tutorial.mp4  “How to ‘like,’ ‘tag’ and review books on Amazon to help promote your favourite authors in less than four minutes,” Charlotte Abel uses an actual Amazon.com book page–for one of her novels, in fact.  She says, “Click on every button that looks click-able.” So far, we’ve clicked on “Like” and “tags.” What else is there? Well, does the author have any reviews yet?  If so, you can click your response to the question, “Was this review helpful?”  If it was, click “yes.”  Again, quoting from the You Tube video, “The more stuff you click, the more it helps this author, and the more it helps others find this book.” (Except the ‘agree with all tags’ button).

 7.  Rate the book!

Whether you bought it on Amazon or some other place, there is probably a star system for rating.  For some of us, rating anything is “even more terrifying” than writing a review. If that is what’s holding you back, then you could either develop your own definitions for ratings 1-5, or you could use someone else’s, like the ones from Goodreads.com for instance:

• 1=didn’t like it
• 2=it was okay
• 3=liked it
• 4=really liked it
• 5=it was amazing

 8.  Share your comments!

You can either be the star of your own video or you can do a written review on amazon.com.  Some people demur, “but I’m not a writer.”  It’s true that many of the reviews are really long, well-written and therefore scary as hell if you’ve never written one before. They are most likely “reviewers.”  I am not a professional reviewer; I review what I’ve read for interest.  The good news is that on Amazon, a review can be as short as 20 words–the kinds of short reviews you might have seen inside a paperback.  And it’s so easy to write 20 words!  Just say what you liked about it.  If the author picks up your review you, too could be published and included in the “front matter” of their paperback version. Simply scroll to the top of that book page where the title is.  If the book has reviews, click on that line, e.g., “1 review,” or if there are no reviews yet, “Create your own review.” You’ll be asked for a Title and Review Type (video or written), and then have a place to add yours. Easy peasy!

 9.  Rate your books on Goodreads!

This is an amazing place where I can tell readers what I think about books I’ve read. I can also read their comments about other books.  Most reviews are brief. My link on Goodreads is http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2967303.Faith_Mortimer

 10.  Understand “indie” author and spread the word!

This topic deserves it’s very own post, but for now, a quote from the Indie Book Collective’s web page will suffice:

… ‘Just as the movie industry was revolutionized by the ‘Indie’ movement; filmmakers with passion and a unique vision, the publishing industry is seeing the same move towards authors creating, publishing, and marketing their own work.  Publishing houses are not buying new authors like they used to. Developing new talent simply isn’t profitable for them so new voices aren’t being ‘heard.’…

So as we recognize and promote Indie films by attending Indie Film Festivals, we can honour these Indie authors in all the ways listed above.

So I’m loading my Kindle for the months of winter reading and looking ahead to Spring and Summer.  How about you?

Thanks to everyone who was kind enough to buy my books recently. The Christmas holiday has seen some phenomenal sales of eBooks for Kindle and there are some truly wonderful books to be bought. When you think about it what else can you buy for less than the price of a sandwich, a possible masterpiece that a writer has plotted, sweated, worried about and taken weeks, months, years to write?
Good Reading and wishing you all a Happy New Year!
Faithx

 

Good Day!
I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas Day and didn't over indulge too much! I came down with a horrible flu-like cold and today I have completely lost my voice. My husband says he is finding the peace and quiet very soothing! (Only joking!)

Today 26th December, is traditionally known in Britain as Boxing Day. There are many old traditions concerning Boxing Day and I thought it fun to add a few here .
Why is 26 December called Boxing Day? Traditionally, 26 December was the day to open the Christmas Box to share the contents with the poor.

What is a Christmas Box?
The Christmas box was a wooden or clay container where people placed gifts.

History of Boxing Day - Boxing Day origins.
To protect ships

During the Age of Exploration, when great sailing ships were setting off to discover new land, A Christmas Box was used as a good luck device. It was a small container placed on each ship while it was still in port. It was put there by a priest, and those crewmen who wanted to ensure a safe return would drop money into the box. It was then sealed up and kept on board for the entire voyage.
If the ship came home safely, the box was handed over to the priest in the exchange for the saying of a Mass of thanks for the success of the voyage. The Priest would keep the box sealed until Christmas when he would open it to share the contents with the poor.

To help the poor
An 'Alms Box' was placed in every church on Christmas Day, into which worshippers placed a gift for the poor of the parish. These boxes were always opened the day after Christmas, which is why that day became know as Boxing Day.

A present for the workers
Many poorly paid workers were required to work on Christmas Day and took the following day off to visit their families. As they prepared to leave, their employers would present them with Christmas boxes.

During the late 18th century, Lords and Ladies of the manor would "box up" their leftover food, or sometimes gifts and distribute them the day after Christmas to tenants who lived and worked on their lands.

And the tradition still continues today ......
The tradition of giving money to workers still continues today. It is customary for householders to give small gifts or monetary tips to regular visiting trades people (the milkman, dustman, coalman, paper boy etc.) and, in some work places, for employers to give a Christmas bonus to employees. Schools across the country gather together gifts to be put in Christmas Boxes that are sent to poorer countries.

Interesting Christmas Fact
The Christmas boxes were made from clay and were necessarily made in the shape of a box. They were often hollow clay balls with a slit in the top.

St Stephen's Day
Boxing Day is also known as St. Stephen's Day (when Good King Wenceslas looked out).

'Good King Wenceslas looked out,
On the Feast of Stephen...........'
Who was St Stephen?
Stephen lived in Rome and was the first man to be killed for believing in the teachings of Jesus. His story is told in the Acts of the Apostles 6: 1 to 8: 2.
Some people claim that he shares this day with another St Stephen, who came from Sweden. St Stephen of Sweden is the patron saint of horses.
In Britain, Boxing Day has long be associated with outdoor sports, especially horse racing and hunting.

And finally! I am proud and pleased that EReader News Today has chosen "The Assassins' Village as its bargain book of the week! You can click on the ENT link here or the book picture above or The Assassins' Village text here for Amazon.co.uk. 'The Assassins' Village' will be priced at 99c or 85p for the next week - so please download your copy now!

Have  a super break those of you who are fortunate enough to be able to take a few more days off and good reading
Faithx

Here's wishing you all a very happy Christmas. I sincerely hope everyone has a super time with their friends, family and loved ones during the holiday season.

Without sounding smoulchy, I'd like to add:

My deepest wish if for a peaceful time, full of love and friendship throughout the World.
God is Love
Christmas is all about love
Christmas is thus about God and Love
Love is the key to peace among all mankind
Love is the key to peace and happiness within all creation
Love needs to be practiced - love needs to flow - love needs to make happy
Love starts with your partner, children and family and expands to all world
God bless all mankind

2011 has brought me lots of new friends from all over the World, new ventures and experiences. 2011 has been an enriched year and I'm eagerly looking forward to 2012 and whatever it may bring.

Thank you, everyone for all your friendship and care you've shown me throughout the past year.

Faithx

Good morning friends,
My last blog post caused an enormous amount of interest and discussion. I was delighted that I'd managed to raise the awareness of this very serious illness and must stress that love and support goes a long way in helping those who  suffer from it.

However, as it engendered such strong emotions, both supportive and dismissive I think it best to remove the post as I don't wish to take sides in an argument.

 I'm now turning my thoughts to family, friends and Christmas!

Faith

_  Bah Humbug! Do you always say what you mean?

I believe saying what you mean is one of the most difficult things a writer – especially a ‘new’ writer has to face and overcome.

A writer could easily be accused of being afraid by not writing what they really mean and there again just as easily criticised for saying what is in their heart.  Have you been ever been so worried that you get sweaty under your armpits, your pulse is racing, you experience a dry mouth, or the urge to get up and go to the bathroom?! You want to be anywhere else, doing something completely difficult than writing the truth!

Or by facing anything else becomes preferable to facing the words on the page, because the words on the page are about to get up and challenge you. You have two choices: be honest with yourself or not. And what choices they are too!  I try my hardest to always say what I mean and often this has all the appeal of undressing in public.  Writers often live in abject terror of saying what they really mean. They will, under most circumstances, choose to waffle, squirm; take the easy way out.

The easiest example to give and probably the most used is when death faces us. Look through newspapers, magazines or television and almost all examples of lines either written or spoken mention ‘ she’s left us, a tragedy, she’s gone, he’s passed away, his spirit lives on.’ Never once do you see or hear the bald words, “He’s dead.”  We all know death is uncomfortable and we all know we’re going to die and it is something we prefer not to think about and it is unnerving.  Coming back to writing, it isn’t usually a matter of life or death, though, is it?

Let’s say I’m working on my book, and one of the characters is loosely based on my next door neighbour, who besides being obese, smelly and detestable also happens to be an alcoholic lesbian, who kicks cats around. BUT she makes a fantastic character in my book except that I know if she ever reads what I’ve written, she’s going to know I have written about her, and she’s going to be furious. Visions of being sued appear before my eyes.

Then what about the readers who object to my use of the word ‘obese or just plain fat?’ Never mind that my neighbour weighs over four hundred pounds and she does NOT have a glandular problem—I am going to have readers tell me that I shouldn’t have called her ‘fat.’ Differently sized, maybe. Well, well.  And then there’s the problem with her sexuality; being a lesbian—maybe I’ve heard her call herself a dyke, but if I called her a dyke in my book, I swear I can hear the chainsaws revving up pretty damn quick. ‘Dyke’ is a word that I can’t use unless I’m one, isn’t that correct?  So now it boils down to making some hard choices. They aren’t life or death, but what I decide is going to determine whether I have a story written with integrity (see my earlier blog post ‘Writing with Integrity’) and passion or something that won’t offend anybody, by not telling the truth.

Another example (and I can already hear some of you complaining).Where did the title ‘differently abled’ come from? Is it really an appropriate synonym for ‘crippled,’ or that ‘appearance-challenged’ is a better use of the English language than ‘ugly.’ If you truly believe this then I’m not making myself understood.

We are all different on this planet. Honest! We are not actually one colour: black, white, red or yellow. In fact we are various shades of brown, and genetically we are close to each other. But we are not all the same.  We are obese and skinny and spotty we are canny and foolish, geniuses and retards; we are straight and queer and everything in between; we are sick and healthy; we are tall and short; we are moral and immoral, good and evil; we are honest and we are liars.  We come in two sexes, male and female, and neither sex is inherently better or purer or nobler than the other. Some women are smarter than some men, some men are smarter than some women, and changing the English language to censor any admission of this is not going to change the facts.  Nor is it going to change the fact that my neighbour is fat and stinks, or that she’s a rude, self-centred, demanding woman who thinks the world owes her something because she’s a lesbian and can’t keep a decent job for long.  She is who she is—a person and an individual. And if you try to sugar-coat your words to keep from offending people who are looking for the chance to be offended, you are going to end up losing everything about her that makes her such an interesting character.

So please, say what you mean. We are writers, craftsmen and we’re not cowards. Lies or weasel words are for people who cannot face up to the fact that life is not fair, and is never going to be fair.

Weasel words are for people who want to tell everyone else what they can and cannot think. If these people can control all those thoughts, the world will turn into a place where everyone is the same as everyone else. By that it will appear colourless, genderless, sexless, passive, obedient, and inoffensive. In other words by calling shit faeces then it will not stink. But actually it still does.

Men are different from women, and those differences are both normal and good. Men are full of testosterone, and that testosterone makes men aggressive. But that aggression is channelled into the creative drives that have given us some of the world’s best architecture, literature and art, and have created in men a sense of honour, passion and courage.  Women are full of oestrogen, which can make us bitchy, but it can also be channelled into creative drives of great literature and art, and women give birth to children and the world’s next generations. Families are good, sex is nice, and parenthood is vital and rewarding. People are fascinating, challenging, diverse, awful, amazing, complex, and colourful. Don’t be afraid to admit this, say what you mean.
 

We as human beings are worth knowing and worth writing about because we are all different. That is the beauty of humanity and we have made our stand based on who we are. Not who we wished we were, not who the censors demanded that we pretend we were… but who we are. Write the words that tell your story, even if they hurt.

Take a stand, walk away from the weasel words, admit that death waits for you at the end of your life, call your character short or fat or skinny or stupid or ugly or perverted. But above all tell the truth! Don’t be ashamed and hide the truth. Say what you mean.

Thanks for reading this and don't forget the Indiebookblowout going on now until the 24th December. There's some great books featured on there!
Faithx

_  Good Day Everyone!

I want to share with you something exciting that starts today! I'm talking about the

INDIEBOOKBLOWOUT EXTRAVAGANZA!

From today and every day up to and including the 24th December, we are giving away masses of eBooks for just 99c! (86p on Amazon.co.uk) http://indiebookblowout.com
 

There are dozens of GREAT eBooks for 99¢ each! PLUS lots of prizes including a new Kindle!

This is only available via http://indiebookblowout.com so make sure you don't miss out on your bargain holiday reading.

  As well as your chance to win a brand new Kindle there is an additional $100 in Gift Cards! 

This is a Gift of Love from fellow Authors! It’s one of the ways we Indie authors support one another and Show the Love to all our readers!

For myself, I'm offering my latest novel, the mystery suspense and highly acclaimed, Children of The Plantation for just 99c or 86p in the UK. Click here for;

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

All the best, for a very jolly and happy Christmas!

Faithx

_  I am delighted to feature bestselling chick lit author Sibel Hodge today with her latest novel! "The Baby Trap". I've already downloaded a copy myself and I look forward to reading it.

Based on her own experiences with infertility and two attempts at IVF, Sibel Hodge’s The Baby Trap will have you laughing and crying at the ups and downs of modern baby-making…

About The Baby Trap…

When Gina turns thirty-three her body clock unexpectedly begins clanging in her ear with annoying persistence. The only problem is, having a baby isn’t as easy as she thought. Whether she’s feng shui-ing the house to death with fertility symbols, throwing out her husband’s tight boxers in favour of baggies, swapping wine and chocolate for green tea and yams, popping fertility drugs like M&M’s, or having sex so precision-timed it makes international warfare manoeuvres look unorganized, her life is turned upside down. And when nothing seems to be working, her quest for the B-word turns into an obsession.Can Gina stay sane, get pregnant, and keep her marriage together? Or will her baby trail become a baby trap?

About Sibel Hodge…

Sibel Hodge is the author of bestselling romantic comedy Fourteen Days Later (great book). She has 8 cats and 1 husband. In her spare time, she’s Wonder Woman! When she’s not out saving the world from dastardly demons, she writes quirky chick lit with a hefty dose of screwball comedy. Her other books include, My Perfect Wedding, The Fashion Police (Amber Fox Mystery), Be Careful What You Wish For (Amber Fox Mystery), and How to Dump Your Boyfriend in the Men’s Room (and other short stories). 

Her work has been shortlisted for the Harry Bowling Prize 2008, Highly Commended by the Yeovil Literary Prize 2009, Runner up in the Chapter One Promotions Novel Comp 2009, and nominated Best Novel with Romantic Elements in 2010 by The Romance Reviews. Her novella Trafficked:  The Diary of a Sex Slave has been listed as one of the Top 40 Books About Human Rights by Accredited Online Colleges.

Praise for her books…Scanned form Amazon's own review lists...

"Yet another winner by Sibel who is fast becoming my favourite 'chick-lit' author" Wistful Kimmie's Book Reviews

"Sibel Hodge has perfect comedic timing"  Lisa Lim, author of Confessions of a Call Centre Gal

“Ms. Hodge is rapidly becoming a favorite of mine." Coffee Time Romance & More

“Sibel Hodge does it again!” Geeky Girl Reviews

“Sibel Hodge has a way of writing that really makes the characters come to life” Can’t Put It Down Review Blog

In celebration of the release, Sibel is giving away 10 ebook copies of The Baby Trap on her blog . Head on over to enter!

For reviews and purchases of her latest novels: http://www.sibelhodge.com/
Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/sibelhodge


 

 

 

 

_ Why Books Make the Very Best Christmas Presents! and Are You a Readaholic?

I’ve two topics this weekend, both being related to books. The first is a simple recap of my year. The second is a light-hearted looked at whether you’re a readaholic or not.

Don’t forget Books Make the Very Best Christmas Presents!

I’ve had an amazing and sometimes frantic year so far – perhaps I can give you a recap on events.  The beginning of May saw the launch of the eBook version of, “The Assassins’ Village” followed by the paperback on June 8th. That same month I feverishly wrote a short story of some 6500 words, “The Bamboo Mirror” (June 30th) and this was closely followed by my anthology of five short stories (including “The Bamboo Mirror”) entitled, “Echoes of Life and Love”, which is about 25500 words in length. Both versions are in eBook format and the anthology comes out in paperback next year.

During the summer I was delighted to finish writing my third novel, “Children of The Plantation” which soared to the highest reaches during October making #200 on Amazon.com Best Sellers and at the same time was Number 1 for 24 hours in Amazon’s Movers and Shakers. Fantastic!  Of course the book world is forever changing and the book is no longer top of the list but still maintains a high profile. November saw the arrival of the paperback edition of, “Children of The Plantation”, which is available now from Amazon or directly from me.

So what’s next? Well after “Children of The Plantation” I thought I’d write a simple romance. After about 5000 words into the story I became bored and, yes, you’ve guessed, I decided to bring Diana Rivers (our sexy, feisty sleuth) back in. So it’s now a mystery thriller with a nasty villain who has a penchant for nurses. It’s not too gory though. I leave that to the Patricia Cornwells of the literary world. I’m well over two thirds of the way through and am being badgered to get it published soon! The eBook will be ready soon after Christmas - I’ll certainly let you know.

I always buy books as Christmas presents – I love to read so they’re my favourite present of all and with my Kindle I can download dozens of excellent eBooks for less than a cup of Latte! (I try and keep my prices down especially for you!)  If you’re looking for a special read for yourself or haven’t yet bought Christmas presents for friends and family, I’d be so pleased if you would consider my books (don’t forget the new one in the New Year). You can buy any of them on Amazon by following the links below - simply click and you’re there. Have a cracking good read and a super Christmas and New Year – I certainly hope to hear from lots of you in the near future. Thanks for your interest and continuing support. As we authors say, you rock!

Are you a readaholic?

If you participate in most the things below then I’d say you definitely are! Do you...

   While driving you read at the red/stop traffic lights.

   You actually believe your characters exist and often act out their scenes in your head.

    You dream about books.

    You blog every day about books.

    You can't stop talking about books.

    Your family only ever gives you gift tokens for books (or books).

   You have panic attacks if you don't have a book to read and when you’ve finished a book.

    You read more than three books a week.

    You take your book/kindle with you everywhere.

    You plan your day around your reading not your work.

    You toss and turn at night thinking of your new book release.

    You don't go to the cinema, because you would rather read.

    You can't go to sleep until you finish the book (this includes omitting having sex)

    You pray for the health of your favourite authors and that they’re writing another you can read!

 Yes, I’d definitely say Books Make the Very Best Christmas Presents!

Amazon.com http://amzn.to/q39Wry

Amazon.co.uk http://amzn.to/qe90Lf

The Book Depository http://bit.ly/rrfJ5n

My website: http://www.faithmortimerauthor.com

Many thanks

Faith x

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