Yes, I’m delighted to announce that you can now display Yesterday Road, my first indie novel, on your bookshelf. Check out the paperback edition over at Amazon.
When I first decided to dabble in self-publishing, I decided to go strictly ebook. Just testing the waters. And it worked well for Yesterday Road, because I could focus on the ebook in terms of marketing and building my so-called brand. It helped me learn the ropes. I was glad I did it that way, because I was pretty intimidated by the whole thing, and keeping it as simple as I could made it all seem doable.
For my next two books, though–Occasional Soulmates and Town Father–I went ahead and had paperbacks made. Both of them turned out beautifully, thanks to covers and interior design done by the incomparable Max Scratchmann, Edinburgh’s favorite idiosyncratic artist and guerrilla poet…
Florida’s Emerging Writers, published by Z Publishing House, is now printed and available for purchase. I have a story published in this anthology and, yeah, I’m pretty proud of it. That’s about as shameless as I can get.
You can imagine my delight and gratitude when I read Carrie’s review. You can also imagine how choked up I got when a friend told me over dinner one night that he had read my story three or four times and then proceeded to talk about its meaning, in particular the part where Melissa and her mother June drive over the “railroad tracks, a hump in the road that made Melissa feel that she was going up a roller coaster.” My friend riffed on the idea of trains, how they come and go, the sense of traveling through time, these two women trying to visit a past that had already left the station.
If either Carrie’s review or my friend’s comments peak your interest in this new anthology of Florida’s Emerging Writers, please click here. Any purchase you make using this link will net me a small commission. (And my continuing shameless self-promotion includes peppering my post with the link for purchase.)
Thank you all for your support.
Yes, there is a cat in my office window. Why are you surprised?
In case any new readers come across this post: It’s all good. I’ve received credit for any sales made through this link: http://www.zpublishinghouse.com/?rfsn=1648278.3e0285
Patience is not one of my virtues, but I’m working on it ;)
This post is not about hawking the anthology, however. A couple of wonderful supporters have already indicated that they purchased the anthology using the links I provided yesterday. Their generosity should result in a decent commission for me; yet, those sales have not shown up and I have to wonder if there is something wrong with the URL. (Although what it could it be, who knows? Both I and a friend used the link to purchase the anthology, and those sales have shown up.)
I have a small favor to ask.
If you did click on the link provided in my blog post and purchased the anthology Florida’s Emerging Writers (or any publication on Z Publishing’s website), please email your name and order number to me at marieannbailey[at]gmail[dot]com
With your name and order number, I can follow up with Z Publishing and (hopefully) resolve this issue. I hope this doesn’t seem petty, but if anyone is purchasing the anthology in order to support me, well, it’s only fair that I receive the support.
A few weeks ago, I shared good news with you all. A short short story of mine is going to be published by Z Publishing House in their upcoming anthology, Florida’s Emerging Writers! Woot! The anthology is available for preorder now. If you’re interested, use the following link to go to Z Publishing’s website. Your purchase of any of their publications will net me a commission: http://www.zpublishinghouse.com?rfsn=1648278.3e0285. I’ve just ordered a copy for myself because I like seeing my work in print.
Among other things, I’ve been sick the last several days with a head cold and cough. Through two doctor visits, I’ve managed to amass quite the little medicine cabinet. But the cough lingers, especially at night when I want to sleep. Otherwise, I’m much better. Just sleep-deprived.
But nothing can contain my excitement at having one of my short stories published. A different version of the story was posted a few years ago on another blog. Fortunately I had already deleted the post, in anticipation of shaping up some of my early bits into (hopefully) publishable pieces. No one was more surprised than me when Z Publishing House selected “No More Tomorrows” for the anthology. The short story is a fictionalized account of visiting my childhood home after it was damaged in a flood and then condemned. I read it to my husband after we learned that Z Publishing had accepted it. I got choked up near the end, realizing how much I still feel that loss even though it had been decades since I left my family home.
This experience will also be an kind of intro into self-promotion for me. One where I encourage (and hope) readers will plunk down a bit of $ in order to read a fiction anthology in which I’m included. I’ve had an opportunity to review some of the other stories included and this is definitely a win-win: a win for me if you purchase and a win for you because you’ll get a treasure trove of outstanding short stories to read. Here’s the link again so you don’t have to scroll back up: http://www.zpublishinghouse.com?rfsn=1648278.3e0285
As I’ve said before and I’ll keep saying until I’m blue in the face (or at least start coughing), I couldn’t have gotten to this point without you, my lovely community of readers and writers. Many, many thanks!
Today I am psyched to help promote a new book co-written by John Howell and Gwen Plano. They are both wonderful people and writers, and their new novel is definitely on topic for the time we live in. Read on for more about …
The CONTRACT between heaven and earth
By John W. Howell & Gwen M. Plano
Thank you, Marie for inviting us to join you today. We are so grateful to be featured on your blog to share a bit about our new book. We know your passion is knitting and related arts and respect the amout of work that goes into each piece. We thank you for taking the time away from this advocation to help spread the word.
The CONTRACT is a different story for writers John W. Howell and Gwen M. Plano. For either of them, it is their first attempt at co-authorship. After a year of Hurricane Harvey and other challenges, they have created, what they have termed, an inspirational thriller that bridges heaven and earth.
Here is the blurb:
The earth is threatened with a catastrophic political event which could result in international warfare and destroy all life on the planet. In heaven, a divine council decides that extraordinary measures are essential. They call for an intervention that involves two souls returning to earth. The chosen two sign a contract that they will work to avert the disaster.
Brad Channing, a Navy SEAL, and Sarah O’Brien, a teacher, become heaven’s representatives on earth. The story follows them as they individually and then together face overwhelming obstacles and eventually end up on a strategic Air Force base in California. It is there that they discover a conspiracy to assassinate the President of the United States. The terrorists have a plan for global dominance, and they are determined to complete their mission. Although military leadership appears to have the President’s best interests at heart, it is not clear who can be trusted and who should be feared. The action is rough and tumble as Brad and Sarah try to figure out the culprits for the plot that will turn into a worldwide conflagration unless stopped.
If you enjoy thrillers, this is one with enough twists and adventure to keep you riveted and guessing. If you like your thriller along with a good romance, Brad and Sarah’s initial attraction and eventual love will sustain you as they live out their heavenly and earthly desires.
The headline read: Russian Spies Infiltrate Suburban America,and just below the headline was a photo of Nika. Sarah froze and dropped her glass. She got up, and without picking up the glass, went inside to call her former neighbor.
“H-hi, Donna, it’s Sarah.”
“I’m so glad you called; I’ve been worried about you. Is everything okay?”
“I’m not so sure. I arrived today and have just begun to settle into my new home. I was at the grocery store a little while ago and picked up the local paper. I couldn’t believe what I read. Abram and Nika were identified as Russian spies.”
“It’s horrifying, Sarah. Everyone is shocked. Nika’s photo was on the front page of our newspaper.”
“Here as well. I’m speechless. I can’t believe that members of the Russian intelligence service lived in my house and had God knows what discussions with my ex-husband.”
“And, you have to wonder why, don’t you?”
Authors Bio.
John began his writing as a full-time occupation after an extensive business career. His specialty is thriller fiction novels, but John also writes poetry and short stories. His first book, My GRL, introduces the exciting adventures of the book’s central character, John J. Cannon. The second Cannon novel, His Revenge, continues the adventure, while the final book in the trilogy, Our Justice, launched in September 2016. The last, Circumstances of Childhood is a family life thriller story and launched October 2017. All books are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.
John lives in Port Aransas, Texas with his wife and their spoiled rescue pets.
Gwen had a lengthy career in higher education, and it was there that she published her first book, Beyond Boundaries, for students interested in volunteer work in developing countries. After she retired, she wrote her award-winning memoir, Letting Go into Perfect Love.
Here’s a medical thriller with a heavy dose of the supernatural! Carrie Rubin, author of Eating Bull and The Seneca Scourge, has a new novel available! It’s been getting great reviews which is no surprise to us who love Carrie’s writing :) Now be like me and rush out to get a copy!
I wish I did. Life would be more fun. But in reality, a ghost could hit me upside the head with a copy of War and Peace and I’d still find a way to explain it. Thanks to my left-brain skepticism and years of science education, a believer in the unseen I am not.
BUT…
That doesn’t mean I don’t find it fascinating, and it doesn’t mean I don’t want to write about it.
The Bone Curse, available today, takes a rational-minded man of science and tosses him into an otherworldly situation, one with curses, dark priests, and Haitian Vodou.
After getting cut by an old bone in the Paris catacombs, a skeptical med student must use the occult to stop a deadly curse and a vengeful priest.
The Hero:
Ben, the main character, is not a perfect guy. He’s a med student…
Shipping on October 1st. Priced at $0.99 for the introduction.
This is a different story for John. It is in the Family Life genre and tells the story of brotherly love, riches to rags, and redemption with a little paranormal thrown in. Normally John writes thrillers but this time he has stepped into a different place. This book was written with love for the story and the hope it will be an enjoyable read.
The blurb:
When a former pro football star and broadcaster, now a Wall Street maven, is accused of insider trading, will he be able to prove his innocence and expose those who are guilty?
Greg and his boyhood pal dreamed of big success in professional football and then later in business. Greg was the only one to live the dream. Now the founder of an investment fund Greg is faced with a routine audit finding by the SEC. The audit points to irregularities and all the tracks lead to Greg. The justice department hits him with an indictment of 23 counts of fraud, money laundering, and insider trading. His firm goes bust, and Greg is on his own.
His best friend knows he is innocent but has been ordered under penalty of eternal damnation not to help.
If you enjoy stories of inspiration, riches to rags, redemption, brotherly love, and a little of the paranormal, Circumstance of Childhood will keep you riveted.
An excerpt:
I look down at my drink and wonder what will happen tomorrow. My daughter Constance wants to come and visit. She lives in New York, and before all hell broke loose, we didn’t see each other often. I missed her so much, and it seemed as if I had to beg her even to talk on the phone. Now, it’s like she wants to be here every weekend. It’s only an hour’s flight by the shuttle or three by train, so she can come when she wants. I just can’t figure out why she got so clingy. I have my troubles, but it doesn’t have anything to do with her. No use in asking her husband either. Though a nice enough guy, I always wonder if he has someplace important to go when I visit. He never sits still and stays busy on the phone or at the computer. He makes a good living, but it seems a person could take an hour to sit and talk. I’d looked forward to some kind of relationship when he and Constance got married. It’ll never happen with him.
When I take another pull at my drink, I notice the burn feels less. It happens every time. First sip initiation, I call it. It’s like the first puff of a cigarette, hits hard then, after, nothing. I decide to let Constance pretty much have the agenda tomorrow. She and I have not had a chance to talk about anything deep for a while. It could just be that she blames me for her mother running off with that guy with the house on the Hudson. He has a title, and the old gal couldn’t resist, but I think the daughter always felt I should have done something. Her mother’s sleeping with another guy and what the hell can I do about that?
I’ll just go with the flow. If she wants to go out, we will. If she wants to stay in, we can do that too. I better think about getting some food in the house. Of course, we can always order take out. I need to move on to my drink and let this go. Tomorrow will be what it is. I remember the day she was born. I looked down at her in my arms and promised I would do anything for her. I love her more than life itself, and I hope we can somehow get to the root of whatever’s wrong. She sounded strange on the phone this morning, and I feel helpless to do anything about it. I hope she opens up when she gets here.
For some reason, I feel tired. Perhaps I’ll go ahead and finish my drink. Maybe I’ll just go home and forget the burger. First, though, I’ll just shut my eyes for a minute. My hands feel good when I put my head down.
“Hey, Greg,” Jerry says. I barely hear him. “What’s the matter? You taking a nap? Greg?” I can feel him shake me, but I have no interest in waking up. His voice gets further away, and I think he says, “Oh, my God, Sophie, call 911, quick.” Now the room goes silent.
Author Bio:
John began his writing as a full-time occupation after an extensive business career. His specialty is thriller fiction novels, but John also writes poetry and short stories. His first book, My GRL, introduces the exciting adventures of the book’s central character, John J. Cannon. The second Cannon novel, His Revenge, continues the adventure, while the final book in the trilogy, Our Justice, launched in September 2016. The latest, Circumstances of Childhood, a family life story, is available as of October 1st, 2017. All books are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.
John lives in Port Aransas, Texas with his wife and their spoiled rescue pets.
I’ve been dipping into my indie catalog lately, featuring an excerpt from the books I’ve published since 2013. This week it’s Town Father‘s turn. This might well be the only historical fiction I ever write, unless you consider a novel set in the early 1970s to be historical fiction. Maybe so. But I had never […]
When I first decided to dabble in self-publishing, I decided to go strictly ebook. Just testing the waters. And it worked well for Yesterday Road, because I could focus on the ebook in terms of marketing and building my so-called brand. It helped me learn the ropes. I was glad I did it that way, because I was pretty intimidated by the whole thing, and keeping it as simple as I could made it all seem doable.
Marie at 1 Write Way 