kindlejoy the feeling you get when see your rating jump 100,000 on the amazon rating billboard. kindlesigh the feeling you get when you watch it slowly slip back to #300,000

Especially if you all go and look at his book: The Dragon and The Crow (Magickless).

I commented on his post, because I’m just that kind of person. I’m a bit random, but I’ll jump in and say Hi, offer to share what I can. One of my books, Earthlink: Impact hit 10,000 in the overall ranking yesterday, and was around #17 in one of the smaller charts: Kindle store> Books> Fiction> Metaphysical & Visionary.

That’s a fantastic number! I’m so proud of it, and I told him so. He was suitably impressed.

TB asked, “any tips?”

You know sometimes, just now and then, the words flow and you read them back and think, Oh Yes! I just had to blog it…. and expand it into a larger ramble. Make of it what you will, and take from it what you feel fits for you.

You see, although promotion and marketing aren’t my strongest areas, there are some things that just make sense. TB only has a single book out, and it only has a single review of 3 stars. I’m not sure if it’s a good book, but I’ve got the sample so I’ll read that later. But, before I even look at that sample, there are things that can be done to help improve the look and feel of that page.

Did you go and look? Need the link again? Here you go: The Dragon and The Crow (Magickless)

What do you see? The product description is short. But it tells me what I need to know, and it’s snappy. I’m sure it could be improved – and I know all of mine could be improved, and I know I’m rubbish at product descriptions so I’ll leave that alone.

Scroll down a bit. “More about the author.” No picture, no information, no “More” at all. I’m not sure how well the author pages work really, but if it’s there, and it only takes a few minutes to put up a picture and a brief bit on “more” – then you should make use of it. Oh, and only one book.

Back to that one book. Tags really do help to identify the themes in a book, choose carefully and they can really help with promoting the book in the right places.Even if they don’t help that much, they’re there so use them. Also, get your friends to “like” the page, get them to share it, to add to the tag numbers.

Reviews also help, a lot. I’m sure I don’t need to blather on about those. Reviews are the reader’s window to what other readers thought of your book. Some will love it, some will hate it, and most won’t bother reviewing it unless you ask them. Even then, most won’t review it even if you ask. But some will. You may need to give some copies away to get those first reviews, but it’s worth it. Really, it’s definitely worth it.

This is what I said on Google+.

Write the next book, then another one, then another. And get your name known wherever you can. Thought about submitting shorts to an anthology somewhere?

Don’t kindlesigh, just use the kindlejoy. You got to 100k, a BIG leap up the rankings, that’s fantastic, celebrate! Who cares where it is now, that’s where it was. You climbed Everest, you stood at the summit, and now you’re telling everyone from the comfort of base camp.

It’s that positive attitude. Focus on the good, on the Great! Leave the other stuff in the dirt, where it belongs. Don’t whine at me. I’m a reader as well as a writer, and I’m a person too. Yeah, really, I am, a proper human being. I hang around online with a lot of writers, and a lot of readers too, and I find the ones that I prefer to spend time with are those who celebrate every success and who don’t wine about the not-so-stellar days. Yeah, I had a blip, it’s cool, tomorrow’s another day.

Don’t get me wrong, we all have rough days and sometimes we need to scream. But what you put out, you get back. What you focus on is how your life is shaped.

Positive attitude alone won’t get you sales, won’t make your book into the next Harry Potter. You can’t just sit back and think positive, you have to get out there and make it happen. But the positive attitude will make people react to you differently. When they like you, then they buy your books. Yes, bookS, plural. Go and write another one.

That applies to me too. I could go on for ever about this, but I’ll stop there and maybe do more another day. I need to be working on the next book in the Earthlink series. Sage is back on Earth and stuff needs to be happening with her. New people need to arrive in her life and I think I want more aliens.

“What if…”

It’s a brilliant pair of words, it opens up so many possibilities. I just love it.

That tiny little phrase opens doors and makes the imagination spin off in all sorts of interesting directions. I’m sure you’ve played the game too. Even on a day to day level it makes you think, makes you wonder. What if I don’t bother getting up? What if I try something different for dinner? What if I learn something new? What if this or that happens?

Then there are the more day dreamish What if’s and those are what really spark my imagination.

If someone disappeared, what if they didn’t just run away? What if they were abducted? What if they went willingly and then ended up trapped?

What if magic was real? What if we could get to another world at the flick of a switch? What if aliens are visiting us but we just don’t see them?

What if I write a book? Or several….

What if, is dreams, flights of fancy and talking to yourself. For me, What if sparks fantasy, space travel and adventure. For others it creates romantic walks on moonlit beaches, or car chases and narrow escapes.

It’s the most incredible key to the door of imagination.

What if you let your imagination loose today?

The Portal series is complete, and although there may be a couple of prequels at some point, I’m not enjoying writing them right now so they’re back in storage, gathering dust until they become intriguing again.

But the new thing….

There’s no magic, but there are spaceships!

Earthlink: Impact.

Sage is eighteen years old and, ever since she can remember, there’s been a voice in her head. She’ll tell you that she doesn’t hear voices, they don’t tell her to do anything. It’s just a single voice, and it doesn’t speak, it screams. She hears an unending scream as if the voice is someone in constant agonising pain.

She’s been told she’s hallucinating. She’s spent time in psychiatric care and on strong drugs that cut her off from her feelings, and she hates all of it.

But she’s not hallucinating, the voice is all too real and Sage has been watched for years in the hope that she’s not the only one who can hear. When Sage puts her life in danger, and it’s clear that she is unique, intervention is necessary.

Warning, Rant coming up.

A couple of days ago I noticed one of those “If you’re a nice person you’ll copy this status and change the world.” things on facebook. Within an hour it was all over my friends list. I can’t remember what it was for. It won’t change the world, it won’t change attitudes, or find a cure, or whatever. Seriously, it won’t. There are better ways of making a difference.

Then this one popped up:

All of us have thousand wishes. To be thinner, to be bigger, have more money, have a cool car, a day off, a new phone, to date the person of your dreams. A cancer patient only has one wish, to kick cancer’s ass. I know that 97% of you won’t post this as your status, but my friends will be the 3% that do. In honor of someone who died, or is fighting cancer, or even had cancer, post this for at least one hour.

Oh, get a grip. Wishing doesn’t cure cancer, posting a status for a day won’t help anyone fight it. Cancer patients, and survivors, and those bereaved, also have ALL those wishes, and more. They also have hope, courage and they need your love and support.

Just because I don’t repost your stupid status doesn’t mean I don’t care. Remembering to ask a friend how her smear or mammogram went might help support that person. Getting off facebook and doing the Race for Life or another event might just make a small difference. Oh, and realising that if only 3% of your facebook “friends” are really friends then you might want to go out and get a life.

These status memes really irritate me, in case you hadn’t noticed. I delete the messages, report direct requests as spam and ignore all the statuses.

Sometime yesterday I heard some sad news, and then this morning I stumbled across a blog post. They’re sort of linked in that Cosmos kicking you in the backside kind of way.

The sad news.

A fellow author, talented lady and generously supportive soul, L C Evans, sadly lost her long battle with cancer. She and I bumped into each other now and then around various forums, on facebook and twitter and in other online places. She was always free with her encouragement and offered good advice freely. She’ll be missed, she leaves a gaping hole within the independent writers’ community online.

Go and take a look at her work, it’s worth the time, go on.

The blog post.

As I do, often, I followed a link that looked interesting. I sat here reading as my tea went cold and then I wandered round the rest of the blog.

Awesome, honest and well said.

Wendy, your words spoke to me today. I wish you well, and I hope you continue winning and kicking the ass of that little c.

Linda, sadly, stopped winning.

Others are fighting, winning, losing. If you know someone, don’t post on some social networking site, pick up the phone and call them. Send an email, a text, just say, “Thinking of you.” Go round and give them a hug, make them a cuppa. Show you care. Get off your backside.

And, actually, it’s worth doing that for your real friends whether they’re sick or not.

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.

December 27th.

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.

The day began bright and early and just as the sun was rising. I woke, worried that the damned turtle doves had been eaten, or escaped, or just flown away. But, no, they were happily sitting on the roof of the dove cote and they appear to have been decorating. Lovely. It’s a good job you left some seed for them. It was sort of fun feeding them this morning. Scatter some seed and watch them come to eat. They are rather cute, very decorative. I suppose they’ll stay as long as I keep feeding them. Would they survive if I let them go wild though? The sun, when it came up fully was gloriously bright, although still very cold. I need a large, strong coffee with my breakfast, or I’ll not function through today.

Another partridge. Oven ready, vacuum packed, fair trade and humanely farmed. Not locally sourced. No bacon and no stuffing. Put it in the freezer with the other two. Now I have three frozen partridges. What if it turns out that I don’t like partridge to eat? Did you think of that?

Thought not. I’m sort of impressed at the novelty of the gifts but I’m starting to see a pattern here. I really, really hope that the novelty will wear off before day six and beyond that, I think there may be repercussions.

A third pear tree. Pear wine for sure. And crumbles and pies. That’s assuming they all survive and fruit. Also assuming I even get round to planting them, or even keeping them. I hadn’t planned on turning the garden into an orchard of any kind, and definitely not all pears. How big do pear trees get? Aha, they should be kept trimmed to between six and eight feet in height or the weight of fruit will break the branches and kill the tree. I’ll need some pruning shears at some point then, but at least they can be kept under control and at a reasonable size. I don’t need a forest instead of a garden, regardless of whatever it produces. But three pear trees? Really? What are you thinking?

Doves, oh yes, that would be why the dovecote is so damned BIG. Chuck them in and hope the two already in there don’t kill them. The other two are cute, by the way, very pretty and that sound they make is sweet. But did I really need any more?

French hens? Lovely! They’re gorgeous, all salt and pepper dappled, dark grey and white, like a cuckoo, and so small. I thought hens would be bigger. These are bantams? Right, mini chickens that lay smaller eggs but still plenty of them. That’s brilliant. Fresh eggs every day will be lovely. I’ve always wanted to keep chickens. I assume they are all girls? I’m not having any cockerels waking me up at stupid o’clock. I refuse to have any cockerels in my garden.

They have a coop and run too? Even better. Cute little bantams, very pretty and will lay eggs come Spring. And they’ll help provide fertiliser for the garden and consume weeds too. I love this one. This gift has me grinning and skipping about happily. Practical and fun at the same time. I can’t wait until Spring. Unless…. How old are they? Around twenty weeks. I see, I’m going to have to do some research on them and find out when I can expect eggs. Enormous hen house and run for three small hens, that’s brilliant, they have plenty of room.

So, they’re Cuckoo maran bantams, a French breed and oooh, they lay eggs with dark brown shells that look like chocolate. With them being around twenty weeks I can expect eggs from late March onwards. They’ll need names. No! Roast, Pie and Curry are not an option.

But, what happens tomorrow? If there are any more pear trees then I think I may have to ask you for receipts so I can take them back. Maybe I can swap them for some other fruit trees, like apples. Maybe I can get a refund. Shame, really, because the idea was nice. Festive and a gift that keeps coming.

I don’t know about you but I’m starting to fear for the poor, “True love” and possibly for Isobel’s sanity too.

If you can’t wait, Get your copy here.

Click the cover below for all ebook formats:

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.

December 26^th. Boxing day.

It may not be snowing but it’s cold and the garden is frozen solid where it’s not an icy swamp. No tree planting can commence in the near future. I hope the tree will survive being just dumped in an icy puddle outside the back door. No way was I going to walk down the garden in the dark, and anyway it’s sheltered by the back door so the tree should be fine. Aren’t they dormant if they have no leaves? Sort of like hibernating but without a cave, or fur.

So, I’ve showered and cleared up some of the mess from yesterday when there’s a knock at the door.

There he is, with a pot with a stick in, a plastic wrapped bundle and a birdcage.

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.

What? Another tree and another bird? Or is that the same tree and partridge from yesterday? Please tell me it’s the same ones from yesterday? How did you get the tree from the back of the house? And have you been in my freezer?

It’s not the same one is it?

I thought not. Bring it in then, and whatever else you have there.

Great. OK, two oven ready partridges. This one is organic, and humanely farmed, nice touch. There’s not much meat on each one so just pop it in the freezer. There should be plenty of space, tuck it in a space somewhere, beside the one from yesterday would be a good spot. There’s plenty of turkey and ham left from yesterday, and that needs eating. It should take us until mid January at this rate. I have to batch up and freeze a load, which is why there’s space in the freezer, I knew I’d need it for the left overs. Why do we buy in so much extra food for Christmas anyway?

The pear tree can go outside, beside the one from yesterday. Although, quite what I’m going to do with two pear trees is beyond me. An orchard perhaps? A pear orchard. I wonder how you make pear cider. Or pear wine! Now, there’s a thought. I think there are a couple of demi johns in the garage, I imagine that might be interesting. Of course, first I have to clear some space in the garden, plant the trees and somehow keep them alive until they finally fruit in a few years time.

No, I haven’t planted the tree from yesterday yet, the ground’s too cold and hard for any sort of digging and have you seen the weather? It’s freezing and wet. Snow would be an improvement and I have no plans to even set foot outside the house for several days yet. Pop that partridge into the freezer would you, it can stay in there until I find another tempting recipe, or until we run out of turkey.

Yes, I know the freezer’s looking fairly full, I stocked up so I wouldn’t have to go shopping until New Year.

Gee, thanks.

What are these? Turtle doves? Very pretty dear, but where am I supposed to put them? They are lovely though, and that coo they made is very soothing. They’re a bit like pigeons though, and I’m not really that fond of pigeons. What do they eat?

There’s a dovecote in the garden? Really, I must go and see!

That’s not a little dovecote, that’s as big as a garden shed! Why is it so big……

I’m starting to have a funny feeling about this.

Check back tomorrow, but I don’t think we’ll reach the 12th day here, you’ll have to buy the book to see how it all ends.
If you can’t wait, Get your copy here.

Click the cover below for all ebook formats:

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree.

December 25^th. Christmas day.

It’s not snowing, no White Christmas for me this year.

It started out just like the song, which sounds lovely when you’re singing it.

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree.

A knock at the door, a tree with a mess of red ribbon round the bare trunk, naked branches poking from the top. More like a stick in a pot, really, but it’s definitely a little tree. And a small, very cold parcel. Not gift wrapped, but wrapped securely in what feels like several plastic bags.

All presented with a wide grin and a warm hug.

At least it’s a potted, young tree that I can plant in the garden. What a lovely thought, shame I don’t actually like pears. At least not that much that I’d give garden space over to a tree. They take up a large chunk of space and resources you know, they need care, pruning, feeding, training. Fruit trees also take time to mature so there won’t be any pears for a few years yet. Apples, now, that’s different, I love apples. An apple tree would be worth the effort as long as it was the right variety, on a dwarf rootstock so it didn’t get too big. Spartans are nice, crunchy and crisp with a sharp sweet flavour. Perfect. I suppose the pears might make nice crumble. Apple and pear crumble? Yes, that would work. Probably. If I had a bigger garden, and if I had an apple tree. Or if I even did much gardening, or if I was into growing my own food. I suppose I could try. After all, how hard can it be to keep a tree alive? Are pear trees even self fertile? See, I know something about fruit trees! Do I need two?

Thank you, I think.

A partridge though? Please tell me it’s ready for consumption? I’ve never had partridge before, how big are they, and how do I cook it? Hell, it had better be oven ready or it’s not staying. Where am I supposed to keep a pet partridge?

Phew, it’s vacuum wrapped and already plucked and gutted, at least that’s something. Did you bring stuffing? Not that there’s much meat on it or really much space for stuffing. If I wrap it in bacon it might make a nice roast, for one. If I remember to defrost the bacon. Stick it in the freezer and I’ll find a recipe later.

Google is my best friend. As will be my slow cooker once the bird is defrosted, probably sometime next year. I think slow cooked with some herbs and a bit of juice until it’s so tender you can carve it with a spoon. Served with roast potatoes and glazed carrots and parsnips in pools of rich gravy. I think I’m going to enjoy that.

Novel gifts though, unusual and I can see you’ve put a lot of thought into it. I love thoughtful gifts, and unusual ones too.

Thank you.

See you tomorrow?

More tomorrow, or if you can’t wait….

If you can’t wait, Get your copy here.

Click the cover below for all ebook formats:

Isobel is also featured in the Ethics Trading anthology, After Dark.

The Portal Between opens with Lily living in our world and she appears to be in her mid thirties. She lives in an old farmhouse, with her son, Andrew, that she claimed had been in her family for several hundred years (The Map and The Stone, and The Portal Sundered.)

We know she has a sister, Heather, who is mentioned in The Portal Between and named in Child of the Portal, and we found out that she was Mistress of the land beyond the portals but she never shared the name she gave that land and she didn’t talk about her childhood much either.

Then I did a character interview on here and she started to open up a bit more. Since then she’s been back in my head and bits of her early story are trickling out.

“Come, I can help you.” Green tinged lips moved in a pale face that was wet as if just emerged from water. Hair like river weed hung long around her face and she smiled as she lifted a hand to Lilith.

I said there’d be no more Portal books with Lily or Kate. I said there’d be no prequel. Apparently I was only half right. Lilith, aged 18, isn’t quite done with me yet.

The Portal Between on Amazon US.

He was marching, with his regiment, eyes front and proud, with tears rolling down his face.

Today, while doing my shopping, I paused to chat with another regiment member and then I, along with crowds of others, watched the 9th/12th Royal Lancers parade through my town. The whole route was lined with people, clapping them home, every step of the way. I wasn’t the only one who shed tears as they passed.

The regiment has recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

They all looked so young, so proud.

Some tried not to grin as they spotted family members waving at them. Some simply focused front and placed one foot in front of another.

Alongside the parade other soldiers, not in dress uniform but in their desert gear, made sure the crowd was far enough back so the parade could pass safely. Some carried buckets and flags. Those buckets were heavy with coins before they’d reached half way and the crowd sprouted Union Jack flags as they went.
From Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Will Fooks:

“This was the first time my regiment, the 9th/12th Royal Lancers, has deployed to Afghanistan and it is unlikely to be the last.

…….nothing could have truly prepared us for the loss of Lance Corporal Paul Watkins, who was killed in action on 16th July.

The tragic loss of Paul and the life changing injuries suffered by two other Lancers were keenly felt by all of us both out here and at home.”

This is why I’m proud to be part of Operation Ebook drop.

Welcome home, Lads.

My flag is now stuck in the pot where my orchid is about to flower. I think it can stay there for a while.

But in the meantime, I get the impression that some of you haven’t had enough of the Portal stories yet…….

This is the opening of something I have bubbling away in the background and may publish at some point in the not too distant future. It began life as a NaNoWriMo challenge in 2006.

Kate startled at the knock on the kitchen door. She wasn’t expecting anyone. It was the first day back at school for all the children after the long summer holidays and Kate had a couple of hours to herself, but she simply sat at the kitchen table with a large mug of tea. Cradling the warmth in her hands, she felt the spreading numbness as she knew that it wasn’t quite over yet. Lily’s magic was gone but Lily was recovered and well again. But Susan still carried some magic, although she didn’t use it. Kate knew, deep down, that the magic would continue to be part of their lives.

Kate wearily dragged herself from the chair and slowly pulled open the door.

“Hi Lily, come in.” Kate’s voice was tired and flat. Lily frowned in concern. Perhaps this wasn’t the best time. She stepped into the kitchen, noticing the unusually large pile of washing up festering in the sink.

The events of the past few years had hit Kate hard and changed her. Lily could see rawness and fragility in her friend that hadn’t been there before. Now she had to pour salt in old emotional wounds. Lily looked down at the roll of loose pages in her hands. It was thick and the pages were like parchment. She hadn’t read all of it, but she’d skimmed some of it after Elder had given the document to her as she left that place for the last time, bringing Kate and Susan home after Gentian daughter had been born and as her own magic died, only a short month before.

“Hi Kate.” Lily spoke softly and the tone in her voice made Kate suddenly become more alert.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, a frown creasing her face and worry standing in her eyes. “Lily?” Kate searched her friends face for an answer. Lily came to the table and sat next to Kate. She placed the document on the table and left it there in between them.

“It’s from Sam.” Lily said and she watched Kate’s face crumple into tears. “She wrote it for you before she died. It’s an account of what happened while she was over there the first time but I’ve not read it all.” Kate stared at the roll of pages. Lily reached over to pat Kate’s shoulder gently. “I’ll put the kettle on.” She said and got up to walk across the kitchen. Lily leaned on the worktop and listened to the kettle begin to heat up. She watched as Kate pushed out a trembling hand to touch the pages. Her fingers found the ribbon and pulled it open. The tightly rolled pages slowly began to uncurl to reveal neat handwriting.

I left my kids. I walked away from my life. I left it all behind for him. Let me tell you my tale. Kate, you and Lily know what happened after I came back for a while. But I couldn’t stay. The damage was too great, the pain too large. Kate, you asked me what happened, but I couldn’t tell you. Then when I was ready to speak it was too late for us. Lily knows what happened, well most of it but she didn’t live it.

So now I will write my story for you, for my children Thomas and Susan. I sit here at my desk and I write longhand. I have freshly cut quills and reed pens and ink made especially for me. But it wasn’t made for this. It was made to indulge me. I like to write things down where the ink makers like to recall their history aurally. There is no electricity here and no computers. My life here is simple in its complexity and it is coming to an end now. My story needs to be told for you, before that end comes. It’s all gone so horribly wrong Kate. I don’t know how to make it right.

The Portal Series on Amazon UK.
The Portal Series on Amazon US.