I have been whining that I want to finish the third installment, but honestly, I know how it ends. I am just dragging my feet. So, if you're interested in being a beta reader, email me (click the little envelope icon in the upper right corner).
Here's what I will reveal--this book covers the same span of time as Book 2 , Brigitte's Cross, does--just from other characters' points of view. There are some new characters here, as well, that make the Dracula cross over more evident. I have enjoyed working on it, and I hope you enjoy it, too--it's always a daunting task to send your little book baby out into the world. I'm getting close to hand off, though. I mentioned recently that I am expanding distribution. I've been with Amazon KDP from the beginning, and decided it was time to branch out. Specifically, you can now purchase eBook versions of The Olivia Chronicles at the following sites:
Kobo iBooks (Sorry for the lack of link here; if you have an Apple product (phone, iPad, Mac) simply search for my name in iBooks. Brigitte's Cross should be available there today; Blood Sisters is already active). Smashwords (this site has all formats, including those that would work with Nook). I had a bad experience early on with PubIt, Nook's early platform for their readers; as a result, I've chosen not to publish directly there, but simply point Nook readers to the Smashwords store. Remember, you can always order print copies from Amazon (which also still carries the Kindle version) and from CreateSpace, if you're a member (CreateSpace is owned by Amazon, so you're just as well off buying on Amazon.com and getting free shipping). I'm working on formatting books 1 and 2 for distribution in other reader formats (Nook, Kobo, iBooks). While I love Kindle Unlimited, I also want to expand so folks who use non-Amazon devices can read my books as well. I plan to offer some coupon codes once things are in good shape, as well, and I'm going to be publishing through SmashWords again (which does allow for multiple formats).
Book 3 is almost ready to go out to beta readers--I'm working on finishing it this week and getting copies out to those who have been faithful to the series so far. If anyone would like an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC), let me know and I'll make it happen. In the meantime, if you're looking for a good vampire series to read, check out Anne Frasier's Pale Immortal and Garden of Darkness. I just finished the second book last night, and they were both good reads. I'm still a Kindle Unlimited reader, and if you are too you can borrow both books from there. Because of various issues (including VAT starting 1/12015), I've taken down my store page. Copies are still available through Amazon, however, in both paperback and Kindle formats (and on CreateSpace). If folks want a signed copy, we can do it old school--contact me for details on how to get your paperback signed.
I've got a new website! Check it out. This is my author page and my pet project online for 2015. If you are interested in working with me in some capacity (writing, reviewing, editing, mentoring), that site has my full online contact information.
So, I don't think I'm going to "win" this year, but I am glad that Nanowrimo got me going on Book 3. In the back of my head, I'm also playing with ideas for the Garner family Book 1, so there's lots of synapses firing.
I deliberately waited until November to start work on Book 3. In part, this was because of NanoWriMo, but also because I've been writing in my head and had a lot of travel and other stuff going on with the day job.
I'm happy to report that Book 3 is in the works and is coming along quite nicely. It's a departure from Books 1 and 2, and I suspect my favorite early reader will have some reading to do when she leaves my house after her visit next week. The start of this novel is quite different from the first two, and I think folks are in for a surprise. As I noted in a post earlier today, copies of the books have started floating around the web in PDF and other forms. I'm not bothered by that, but I do ask that folks who are reading let me know what they think about the first two books. I know that digital readers tend to be eBook hoarders (I'm guilty of that myself), but I have some hope that the sharing of PDF versions means that someone out there thinks the books are at least entertaining. Feedback is how you, as readers, get a chance to influence where the third book in the Olivia Chronicles goes. I have some framework down, but the ending is completely up in the air. As Stephen King notes, it's up to the characters where this goes, but I'm open to suggestions and to ideas about who you want to see more of in Book 3. I'm also planning on some tie-in short stories on characters from the series to submit to a couple of anthologies/websites. But for now, back to Book 3 while there's a lull in the day job today. Spurred by a couple of recent star ratings (no actual written reviews) on Goodreads on Brigitte's Cross and the single review, as well as a decent download number for the third round of free promo periods, I did a little Google Search for the book.
Turns out folks have already started converting the Kindle version to PDF and you can download that for free. I give away a lot of digital copies myself. And, piracy is a fact of life in our current culture. All I ask those of you stripping DRM from the Kindle version is this: Obviously if you think it's good enough to make free for all readers (not just for those who download on my promo days), you must think it's good enough to read and entertaining enough to recommend it to others. So, why not write a review of the books on Amazon? That seems like a decent trade off--you and your pals get to read my work for free, and I get some feedback on it from you. And, if you really really like it, why not invest in a paperback copy you can pass around to your pals who hate reading on a screen? I'm happy to sign copies--even if you buy them on Amazon (yes, they are significantly cheaper that way because signed copies sold here have the cost of shipping included as well as a bit to cover my inventory and time costs) and send them to me for signing. If there is interest in that set up, you can email me and I'll consider getting a PO Box just for signing books. Halloween is fast approaching, and if you're looking for something to read, you can download the current books in the Olivia Chronicles for free on 9/29/14 and 9/30/14. I'm also running two free days 10/30/14 and 10/31/14. So, if you want a free eBook copy and you missed my previous promotions, you are in luck!
If you are a Kindle Unlimited member or a Prime member who uses the Lending Library, you can read for free at any time. This |
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